AVMAWKER 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


PRESENTED  BY 

PROF. CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 
MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


A  Jayhawker  «*  Europe 


A 

Jayhawker  in  Europe 


BY 

W.  Y.  MORGAN 

\\ 

Author  of  "A  Journey  of  a  Jayhawker" 


MONOTYPED  AKn  PRINTED  BY 

CKANE    &  COMPANY 

TOPEKA 

I9II 


Copyright  1911, 
By  CRANE  &  COMPANY 


H  3 


Preface 

THESE  letters  were  printed  in  the  Hutchin- 
son  Daily  News  during  the  summer  of  1911. 
There  was  no  ulterior  motive,  no  lofty  pur- 
pose, just  the  reporter's  idea  of  telling  what 
he  saw. 

They  are  now  put  in  book  form  without 
revision  or  editing,  because  the  writer  would 
probably  make  them  worse  if  he  tried  to  make 

them  better. 

W.  Y.  MORGAN. 

HUTCHIXSON,  KANSAS,  November  1,  1011. 


tfje  fapfjatofeer* 

to&o  0tap  at  gome  and  tafee  t&rfr  (European  trfpg 
in  tfieir  minus  anti  in  ttjt  boofeg,  tlji0 
boiume  10  rcsprctf ullp 
caUD  fop  one  ot  t6e 


Table  of  Contents 


Page 

NEW  YORK  IN  THE  HOT  TIME 1 

BREAKING  AWAY, 7 

ON  THE  POTSDAM, 12 

THE  LIONS  OF  THE  SHIP, 18 

OCEAN  CURRENTS, 25 

THE  DUTCH  FOLKS 80 

IN  OLD  DORDRECHT, 37 

THE  DUTCHESSES, 44 

THE  PILGRIMS'  START, 50 

AMSTERDAM,  AND  OTHERS, 56 

CHEESES  AND  BULBSES, 63 

HISTORIC  LEYDEN, 72 

THE  DUTCH  CAPITAL, .80 

"THE  DUTCH  COMPANY," 88 

THE  GREAT  RIVER, 96 

ALONG  THE  RHINE, 104 

IN  GERMAN  TOWNS, 112 

ARRIVING  IN  PARIS 120 

THE  FRENCH  CHARACTER, 127 

THE  LATIN  QUARTER, 135 

THE  BOULEVARDS  OF  PARIS, .   144 

SOME  FRENCH  WAYS, 154 

IN  DOVER  TOWN 162 

OLD  CANTERBURY  TODAY, 169 

THE  ENGLISH  STRIKE, 178 

ENGLISHMAN  THE  GREAT, 187 

THE  NORTH  OF  IRELAND, 198 

SCOTLAND  AND  THE  SCOTCH, 211 

THE  LAND  OF  BURNS, 220 

THE  JOURNEY'S  END,  228 


A  Jayhawker  /»  Europe 


New  York  in  the  Hot  Time 

NEW  YORK,  July  10,  1911. 
The  last  day  on  American  soil  before  start- 
ing on  a  trip  to  other  lands  should  be  marked 
with  a  proper  spirit  of  seriousness,  and  I  would 
certainly  live  up  to  the  propriety  of  the  oc- 
casion if  it  were  not  for  two  things, — the 
baggage  and  the  weather.  But  how  can  a 
man  heave  a  sigh  of  regret  at  departing  from 
home,  when  he  is  chasing  over  Jersey  City  and 
Hoboken  after  a  stray  trunk,  and  the  ther- 
mometer is  breaking  records  for  highness  and 
the  barometer  for  humidity?  I  have  known 
some  tolerably  warm  zephyrs  from  the  south 
which  were  excitedly  called  "hot  winds,"  but 
they  were  balmy  and  pleasant  to  the  touch 
in  comparison  with  the  New  York  hot  wave 
which  wilts  collar,  shirt  and  backbone  into 
one  mass.  The  prospect  of  tomorrow  being 

(i) 


A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 


out  on  the  big  water  with  a  sea  breeze  and  a 
northeast  course  does  not  seem  bad,  even  if 
you  are  leaving  the  Stars  and  Stripes  and 
home  and  friends.  There  is  nothing  like  hot, 
humid  weather  to  destroy  patriotism,  love, 
affection,  and  common  civility.  I  speak  in 
mild  terms,  but  I  have  returned  from  Ho- 
boken,  the  station  just  the  other  side  of  the 
place  whose  existence  is  denied  by  the  Uni- 
versalists.  This  is  the  place  the  ship  starts 
from,  and  not  from  New  York,  as  it  is  ad- 
vertised to  do. 

Speaking  of  weather  reminds  me  that  the 
West  is  far  ahead  of  New  York  in  the  emanci- 
pation of  men.  The  custom  here  is  for  men 
to  wear  coats  regardless  of  the  temperature, 
whereas  in  the  more  intelligent  West  a  man  is 
considered  dressed  up  in  the  evening  if  he 
takes  off  his  gallusses  along  with  his  coat. 
Last  night  we  went  to  a  "roof  garden"  and 
expected  that  it  would  be  a  jolly  Bohemian 
affair,  but  every  man  sat  with  his  coat  on  and 
perspired  until  he  couldn't  tell  whether  the 
young  ladies  of  the  stage  were  kicking  high 
or  not,  and  worse  than  that,  he  did  not  care. 


NEW  YORK   IN   THE   HOT   TIME  3 

I  have  been  again  impressed  with  the  fact 
that  there  are  no  flies  in  New  York  City. 
There  are  no  screens  on  the  windows,  not 
even  of  the  dining-rooms,  and  yet  I  have  not 
seen  a  fly.  I  wish  Dr.  Crumbine  would  tell 
us  why  it  is  that  flies  swarm  out  in  Kansas 
and  leave  without  a  friendly  visit  such  a  rich 
pasture-ground  as  they  would  find  on  the 
millions  of  humans  on  Manhattan  island.  If 
I  were  a  fly  I  would  leave  the  swatters  and  the 
hostile  board  of  health  of  Kansas,  and  take 
the  limited  train  for  New  York  and  one  per- 
petual picnic  for  myself  and  family. 

This  afternoon  I  went  to  the  ball  game,  of 
course.  Some  people  would  have  gone  to  the 
art  exhibit  or  the  beautiful  public  library. 
But  New  York  and  Chicago  were  to  play  and 
Matthewson  was  to  pitch,  and  the  call  of  duty 
prevailed  over  the  artistic  yearnings  which 
would  have  taken  me  elsewhere.  Coming 
home  from  the  game  I  had  an  idea — which  is 
a  dangerous  thing  to  do  in  hot  weather.  There 
has  been  a  good  deal  of  talk  in  the  newspapers 
about  the  Republicans  not  agreeing  on  a  can- 
didate, and  the  question  as  to  whether  Taft 


A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 


can  be  reflected  or  not  is  being  vigorously 
debated.  Put  'em  all  out  and  nominate 
Christy  Matthewson.  This  would  insure  the 
electoral  vote  of  New  York,  for  if  the  Re- 
publicans put  "Matty"  on  the  ticket  the  elec- 
tion returns  would  be  so  many  millions  for 
Matthewson  and  perhaps  a  few  scattering. 

There  were  about  as  many  errors  and  bone- 
heads  in  the  game  between  Chicago  and  New 
York  as  there  would  be  in  a  Kansas  State 
League  game,  and  more  than  would  come  to 
pass  in  the  match  between  the  barbers  and 
the  laundrymen  of  Hutchinson.  The  players 
did  not  indulge  in  that  brilliant  repartee  with 
the  umpire  which  is  a  feature  of  the  Kansas 
circuit,  and  the  audience,  while  expressing  its 
opinion  of  the  judgments,  had  no  such  wealth 
of  phrases  as  pours  over  the  boxes  from  the 
grandstand  at  home.  The  language  used 
could  have  come  from  the  ministerial  alliance, 
and  sometimes  the  game  seemed  more  like  a 
moving-picture  show  than  a  real  live  game  of 
baseball.  Chicago  won,  3  to  2  in  ten  innings, 
and  I  feel  that  my  European  trip  is  a  decided 
success  so  far, 


NEW   YORK   IN   THE   HOT    TIME  5 

This  morning  I  took  a  little  walk  down  Wall 
street  and  saw  the  place  in  which  the  Great 
Red  Dragon  lives.  These  New  York  bankers 
and  brokers  are  not  so  dangerous  as  I  have 
been  led  to  believe  by  reading  some  of  the 
speeches  in  Congress.  There  was  no  blood 
around  the  Standard  Oil  building,  and  the 
office  of  J.  Pierpont  was  filled  with  men  who 
looked  as  uncomfortable  and  unhappy  as  I 
felt  with  the  heat.  Sometimes  I  think  the 
men  of  Wall  street,  New  York,  are  just  like 
the  men  at  home, — getting  all  they  can  under 
the  rules  of  the  game  and  only  missing  the 
bases  when  the  umpire  looks  the  other  way. 
The  few  with  whom  I  talked  were  really  con- 
cerned about  the  crops  and  the  welfare  of  the 
people  of  Kansas,  perhaps  because  they  have 
some  of  their  money  invested  in  our  State,  and 
I  got  the  idea  that  Wall  street  and  all  it 
represents  is  interested  in  the  prosperity  of 
the  country  and  knows  that  hard  times  any- 
where mean  corresponding  trouble  for  some 
of  them  in  New  York. 

New  York  is  a  growing  city.  In  many  re- 
spects it  is  like  Hutchinson.  The  street  pav- 


6  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

ing  is  full  of  holes  and  new  buildings  are  going 
up  in  every  direction.  Every  few  months 
"the  highest  skyscraper"  is  erected,  and  now 
one  is  being  constructed  that  will  have  fifty  or 
sixty  stories — it  doesn't  matter  which.  The 
buildings  are  faced  with  brick  or  stone,  but 
really  built  of  iron.  I  saw  one  today  on  which 
the  bricklaying  had  been  begun  at  the  seventh 
story  and  was  proceeding  in  both  directions. 
That  was  the  interesting  feature  of  the  build- 
ing to  me.  That  and  the  absence  of  flies  and 
the  baseball  game  are  the  general  results  of 
my  efforts  today  to  see  something  of  the  great- 
est city  in  America. 

We  sail  tomorrow  morning.  Then  it  will 
be  ten  days  on  the  ship  for  us.  One  thing 
about  an  ocean  voyage  is  reasonably  sure : 
If  you  don't  like  it  you  can't  get  off  and  walk. 
A  really  attractive  feature  is  that  there  is  no 
dust  and  you  don't  watch  the  clouds  and  wish 
it  would  rain  so  you  will  not  have  to  water  the 
lawn. 


Breaking  Away 

STEAMSHIP  POTSDAM,  July  11. 

The  sailing  of  an  ocean  steamer  is  always  a 
scene  of  delightful  confusion  and  excitement. 
Thousands  of  people  throng  the  pier  and  the 
ship,  saying  goodbyes  to  the  hundreds  who  are 
about  to  leave.  The  journey  across  the  ocean, 
though  no  longer  a  matter  of  danger  or  hard- 
ship, is  yet  enough  of  an  event  to  start  the 
emotions  and  make  the  emoters  forget  every- 
thing but  the  watery  way  and  the  long  ab- 
sence. 

The  crowd  is  anxious,  expectant,  sad,  and 
unrestrained.  Men  who  rarely  show  personal 
feeling  look  with  glistening  eyes  on  the  friends 
to  be  left  behind.  Women,  who  are  always 
seeing  disaster  to  their  loved  ones,  strive  with 
pats,  caresses  and  fond  phrases  to  say  the 
consoling  words  or  to  express  the  terror  in 
their  hearts.  The  timid  girl,  off  for  a  year's 
study,  wishes  she  had  not  been  so  venture- 
some. The  father  rubs  his  eyes  and  talks 
loudly  about  the  baggage.  The  mother  clings 

(7) 


8  A  JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

to  her  son's  arm  and  whispers  to  him  how  she 
will  pray  for  him  every  night,  and  hopes  he 
will  change  his  underclothes  when  the  days  are 
cool.  Young  folks  hold  hands  and  tell  each 
other  of  the  constant  remembrance  that  they 
will  have.  Big  bouquets  of  flowers  are  brought 
on  by  stewards,  the  trunks  go  sliding  up  the 
plank  and  into  the  ship,  the  officers  strut  up 
and  down,  conscious  of  the  admiring  glances 
of  the  curious,  orders  are  shouted,  sailors  go 
about  tying  and  untying  ropes,  the  rich  family 
parades  on  with  servants  and  boxes,  the 
whistle  blows  for  the  visitors  to  leave,  and  the 
final  goodbyes  and  "write  me"  and  "lock  the 
back  door"  and  "tell  Aunt  Mary"  and  such 
phrases  fill  the  air  while  handkerchiefs  alter- 
nately wipe  and  wave. 

Slowly  the  big  boat  backs  into  the  stream 
amid  a  fog  of  cheers  and  sobs,  then  goes 
ahead  down  the  harbor,  past  the  pier  still 
alive  with  fluttering  handkerchiefs,  the  voices 
no  longer  to  be  heard,  and  the  passengers  feel 
that  sinking  of  the  heart  that  comes  from  the 
knowledge  of  the  separation  by  time  and  dis- 
tance coming  to  them  for  weeks  and  months, 
perhaps  forever.  Sorrowfully  they  strain  for 


BREAKING   AWAY 


a  last  look  at  the  crowd,  now  too  far  away  to 
distinguish  the  wanted  face,  and  then  they 
turn  around,  look  at  their  watches,  and 
wonder  how  long  it  will  be  before  lunch. 

Of  course  the  Dutch  band  played  the  Star- 
Spangled  Banner  as  the  boat  trembled  and 
started  ;  of  course  the  last  passenger  arrived 
just  a  minute  late  and  was  prevented  from 
making  an  effort  to  jump  the  twenty  feet  of 
water  which  then  separated  the  ship  from  the 
pier.  Of  course  the  boys  sold  American  flags 
and  souvenir  post  cards.  Of  course  the  tour- 
ists wondered  if  they  would  be  seasick  and 
their  friends  rather  hoped  they  would  be, 
though  they  did  not  say  so.  The  steamboats 
whistled  salutes,  and  the  band  changed  its 
tune  to  a  Dutch  version  of  "The  Girl  I  Left 
Behind  Me,"  and  with  flags  flying  the  Pots- 
dam moved  past  the  big  skyscrapers,  past  the 
Battery,  alongside  the  Statue  of  Liberty,  and 
out  toward  the  Atlantic  like  a  swan  in  River- 
side Park.  The  voyage  has  begun.  The 
traveler  has  to  look  after  his  baggage,  which 
is  miraculously  on  board,  find  his  deck  chairs 
and  his  dining-room  seats,  and  between-times 
rush  out  occasionally  to  get  one  more  glimpse 


10  A   JAYHAWKER   IN  EUROPE 

of  the  New  Jersey  coast,  which  is  never  very 
pretty  except  when  you  are  homeward  bound, 
when  even  Oklahoma  would  look  good. 

This  boat,  the  Potsdam,  of  the  Holland- 
American  line,  is  not  one  of  the  big  and  mag- 
nificent floating  hotels  which  take  travelers 
across  the  Atlantic  so  rapidly  that  they  do  not 
get  acquainted  with  each  other  and  in  such 
style  that  they  think  they  are  at  a  summer 
resort.  But  it  is  a  good-sized,  easy-sailing, 
slow-going  ship  that  will  take  about  ten  days 
across  and  has  every  comfort  which  the  Dutch 
can  think  of,  and  they  are  long  on  having 
things  comfortable.  It  has  a  reputation  for 
steadiness  and  good  meals  which  makes  it 
popular  with  people  who  have  traveled  the 
Atlantic  and  who  enjoy  the  ocean  voyage  as 
the  best  part  of  a  trip  abroad.  It  lands  at 
Rotterdam,  one  of  the  best  ports  of  Europe 
and  right  in  the  center  of  the  most  interesting 
part  of  the  Old  World. 

The  pilot  left  us  at  Sandy  Hook,  and  now 
the  Potsdam  is  sailing  right  out  into  the  big 


BREAKING   AWAY  11 

water.  A  cool  breeze  has  taken  the  place  of 
the  hot  air  of  New  York.  The  ocean  is 
smooth  ;  there  is  neither  roll  nor  heave  to  the 
ship.  Everybody  is  congratulating  himself 
that  this  is  to  be  a  smooth  voyage.  A  sub- 
stantial luncheon  is  still  staying  where  it  be- 
longs, and  we  are  looking  over  the  other  pas- 
sengers and  being  looked  over  by  them.  There 
is  no  chance  to  get  off  and  go  back  if  we 
wanted  to  do  so.  And  we  don't  want  to — not 
yet. 


On  the  Potsdam 

STEAMSHIP  POTSDAM,  July  14. 
The  daily  life  on  shipboard  might  be  consid- 
ered monotonous  if  one  were  being  paid  for 
it,  but  under  the  present  circumstances  and 
surroundings  the  time  goes  rapidly.  Every- 
body has  noticed  that  the  things  he  is  obliged 
to  do  are  dull  and  uninteresting.  Any  ordi- 
nary American  would  demand  about  $10  a  day 
for  fastening  himself  in  a  boat  and  remaining 
there  for  ten  days.  He  would  get  tired  of 
the  society,  sick  of  the  meals  and  sore  on  his 
job.  But  call  it  "fun"  and  he  pays  $10  a  day 
for  the  pleasure  of  the  ride.  The  Potsdam  is 
560  feet  long,  sixty-two  feet  wide,  and  seven 
stories  high, — four  above  the  water-line  and 
three  below.  On  this  trip  its  first-class  ac- 
commodations are  filled,  about  260  people ; 
but  the  second  class  is  not  crowded,  and  less 
than  a  hundred  steerage  passengers  occupy 
that  part  of  the  ship  which  often  carries  2,100 
people.  The  steerage  is  crowded  on  the  trip 
to  America,  filled  with  men  and  women  who 

(12) 


ON   THE   POTSDAM  13 

are  leaving  home  and  fatherland  in  order  to 
do  better  for  themselves  and  their  children. 
They  go  back  in  later  years,  for  a  visit,  but 
they  do  not  travel  in  the  steerage.  They 
carry  little  American  flags  and  scatter  thoughts 
of  freedom  and  free  men  in  the  older  lands. 

This  is  a  Dutch  ship  and  the  language  of 
the  officers  and  crew  is  Dutch.  While  a  few  of 
them  speak  some  English  and  most  of  them 
know  a  little,  the  general  effect  is  that  of 
getting  into  an  entirely  foreign  environment. 
The  Dutch  language  is  a  peculiar  blend.  It 
seems  to  be  partly  derived  from  the  German, 
partly  from  the  English,  and  partly  from  the 
Choctaw.  The  pronunciation  is  difficult  be- 
cause it  is  unlike  the  German,  the  English 
or  the  Latin  tongues.  An  ordinary  word 
spelled  out  looks  like  a  freight  train  of  box 
cars  with  several  cabooses.  As  one  of  my 
Dutch  fellow-passengers  said  when  he  was  in- 
structing me  how  to  pronounce  the  name  of 
the  capital  of  Holland,  "Don't  try  to  say  it; 
sneeze  it."  A  great  deal  of  interest  is  added  to 
the  smallest  bits  of  conversation  by  the  doubt 
as  to  whether  the  Dutch  speaker  is  telling  you 


14  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

that   it   is    dinner-time   or   whether   he   has 
swallowed  his  store  teeth. 

Which  reminds  me  of  a  little  story  Ben 
Nusbaum  told  me  of  the  Dutchman  who  came 
into  the  Oxford  cafe,  sat  up  to  the  counter 
and  in  proper  Dutch  etiquette  greeted  the 
waiter  with  the  salutation,  "Wie  gehts?" 
Turning  toward  the  kitchen  the  waiter  sang 
out,  "wheat  cakes!"  "Nein!  nein!"  shouted 
the  Dutchman.  "Nine,"  said  the  waiter, 
scornfully;  "you'll  be  dam  lucky  if  you  get 
three!" 

The  principal  occupation  on  board  a  Dutch 
ship  is  eating,  and  the  next  most  important 
is  drinking.  The  eats  begin  with  a  hearty 
breakfast  from  8  to  10  o'clock.  At  11  o'clock, 
beef  soup,  sandwiches  and  crackers.  At  12  : 30, 
an  elaborate  luncheon.  At  4  o'clock,  afternoon 
tea,  with  sandwiches  and  fancy  cakes.  At  7 
o'clock,  a  great  dinner.  At  9  o'clock,  coffee, 
sandwiches,  etc.  Any  time  between  these 
meals  you  can  get  something  to  eat,  anything 
from  beef  to  buns,  and  the  table  in  the  smok- 
ing-room is  always  loaded  with  cheese,  sau- 
sage, ham,  cakes  and  all  the  little  knick-knacks 


ON   THE   POTSDAM  15 

that  tempt  you  to  take  one  as  you  go  by. 
And  yet  there  is  surprise  that  some  people 
are  seasick. 

You  can  get  anything  you  want  to  drink 
except  water,  which  is  scarce,  and  apparently 
only  used  for  scrubbing  and  bathing.  Of 
course  the  steward  will  find  you  a  little  water, 
if  you  are  from  Kansas,  but  he  thinks  you  are 
sick,  wants  to  add  a  hot-water  bag,  and  sug- 
gests that  the  ship  doctor  might  help  you 
some. 

I  have  spoken  before  of  the  Dutch  band. 
It  is  a  good  one,  and  loves  to  play.  The  first 
concert  is  at  10  in  the  morning.  There  is 
orchestra  music  during  luncheon  and  dinner, 
and  band  concerts  afternoon  and  evening.  I 
like  a  German  band,  or  a  Dutch  band,  so  long 
as  it  sticks  to  its  proper  repertoire.  But  there 
never  was  a  German  band  that  could  play 
"My  Old  Kentucky  Home"  and  "Swanee 
River,"  and  every  German  band  persists  in 
doing  so  in  honor  of  the  Americans.  I  sup- 
pose this  desire  to  do  something  you  can't  do 
is  not  confined  to  Dutch  musicians.  I  know 
a  man  who  can  whistle  like  a  bird,  but  he  in- 


16  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

sists  that  he  is  a  violinist,  and  plays  second 
fiddle.  I  know  a  singer  with  a  really  great 
voice  who  persists  in  the  theory  that  he  can 
recite,  which  he  can't.  Therefore  he  is  a 
great  bore,  and  nobody  thinks  he  can  even 
sing.  Nearly  all  of  us  are  afflicted  some  along 
this  line,  and  the  Dutch  band  on  the  Potsdam 
is  merely  accenting  the  characteristic  in  brass. 

Today  I  saw  a  whale.  Every  time  I  am  on 
the  ocean  I  see  a  whale.  At  first  nobody  else 
could  see  it,  but  soon  a  large  number  could. 
There  was  a  good  deal  of  excitement,  and  the 
passengers  divided  into  two  factions,  those 
who  saw  the  whale  and  those  who  didn't  and 
who  evidently  thought  we  didn't.  The  argu- 
ment lasted  nearly  all  the  morning,  and  would 
be  going  on  yet  if  a  ship  had  not  appeared  in 
the  distance,  and  our  passengers  divided 
promptly  as  to  whether  it  was  a  Cunarder,  a 
French  liner,  or  a  Norwegian  tramp  freighter. 
This  discussion  will  take  our  valuable  time  all 
the  afternoon.  Friends  will  become  enemies, 
and  some  of  those  who  rallied  around  the  whale 
story  are  almost  glaring  at  each  other  over 
the  nationality  of  that  distant  vessel.  I  am 


ON   THE   POTSDAM  17 

trying  to  keep  out  of  this  debate,  as  I  am 
something  of  a  Hero  because  I  saw  the  whale. 
I  have  already  told  of  my  nautical  experience 
on  Cow  creek,  so  while  I  feel  I  would  be  con- 
sidered an  authority,  it  is  better  to  let  some 
of  the  other  ambitious  travelers  get  a  reputa- 
tion. 


The  Lions  of  the  Ship 

STEAMSHIP  POTSDAM,  July  19. 
There  are  always  "lions"  on  a  ship,  not  the 
kind  that  roar  and  shake  their  manes,  but 
those  the  other  passengers  point  at  and  after- 
ward recall  with  pride.  I  often  speak  care- 
lessly of  the  time  I  crossed  with  Willie  Vander- 
gould,  although  he  never  left  his  room  during 
the  voyage  and  was  probably  sleeping  off  the 
effects  of  a  long  spree.  Once  I  was  a  fellow- 
passenger  with  Julia  Marlowe,  a  fact  Julia 
never  seemed  to  recognize.  There  are  always 
a  few  counts  and  capitalists  on  an  ocean 
steamer,  and  a  ship  without  a  lion  is  un- 
fortunate. Our  largest  and  finest  specimen  is 
Booth  Tarkington,  the  head  of  the  Indiana 
school  of  fiction,  an  author  whose  books  have 
brought  him  fame  and  money,  and  a  play- 
wright whose  dramatizations  have  won  suc- 
cess. He  is  the  tamest  lion  I  ever  crossed  with. 
He  is  delightfully  democratic,  not  a  bit  chesty, 
but  rather  modest,  and  as  friendly  to  a  travel- 
ing Jayhawker  as  he  is  to  the  distinguished 

(18) 


THE   LIONS   OF   THE   SHIP  19 

members  of  the  company.  In  fact,  he  under- 
stands and  speaks  the  Kansas  language  like 
a  native.  His  ideal  of  life  is  to  have  a  home 
on  an  island  in  the  track  of  the  ocean  steamers 
so  he  can  sit  on  the  porch  and  watch  the  ships 
come  and  go.  Not  for  me.  It  is  too  much 
like  living  in  a  Kansas  town  where  No.  3  and 
No.  4  do  not  stop,  and  every  day  the  loco- 
motives snort  and  go  by  without  even  hesitat- 
ing.   

Tarkington  is  an  honest  man,  so  he  says, 
and  he  tells  good  sea  stories.  His  favorite 
true  story  is  of  Toboga  Bill,  a  big  shark  which 
followed  ships  up  and  down  the  South-Ameri- 
can coast,  foraging  off  the  scraps  the  cooks 
threw  overboard.  Tarkington's  friend,  Cap- 
tain Harvey,  got  to  noticing  that  on  every  trip 
his  boat  was  escorted  by  Toboga  Bill,  whose 
bald  spot  on  top  and  a  wart  on  the  nose  made 
him  easily  recognizable.  Harvey  got  to  feed- 
ing him  regularly  with  the  spoiled  meat  and 
vegetables,  and  Toboga  Bill  would  come  to  the 
surface,  flop  his  fin  at  the  captain  and  thank 
him  as  plainly  as  a  shark  could  do.  After 
several  years  of  this  mutual  acquaintance  the 


20  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

captain  happened  to  be  in  a  small-boat  going 
out  to  his  ship  at  a  Central-American  port. 
The  boat  upset,  and  the  captain  and  sailors 
were  immediately  surrounded  by  a  herd  of 
man-eating  sharks.  The  shore  was  a  mile 
away  and  the  captain  swam  that  distance,  the 
only  one  who  escaped;  and  all  the  way  he 
could  see  Toboga  Bill  with  his  fin  standing  up 
straight,  keeping  the  other  sharks  from  his 
old  friend.  Occasionally  Toboga  would  give 
the  captain  a  gentle  shove,  and  finally  pushed 
him  onto  the  beach. 

This  story  Tarkington  admitted  sounded 
like  a  fish  story,  but  he  has  a  motor-boat 
named  Toboga  Bill,  which  verifies  the  tale. 

That  reminded  me  of  a  Kansas  fish  story 
which  I  introduced  to  the  audience.  Every- 
body in  Kansas  knows  of  the  herd  of  hornless 
catfish  which  has  been  bred  near  the  Bower- 
sock  dam  at  Lawrence.  Some  years  ago  Mr. 
Bowersock,  who  owns  the  dam  that  furnishes 
power  for  the  mill  and  other  factories,  con- 
ceived the  idea  that  big  Kaw  river  catfish 
going  through  the  mill-race  and  onto  the  water- 
wheel  added  much  to  the  power  generated. 


THE   LIONS   OF   THE   SHIP 


Then  he  read  that  fish  are  very  sensitive  to 
music.  So  he  hired  a  man  with  an  accordion 
to  stand  over  the  mill-race  and  play.  The 
catfish  came  from  up  and  down  stream  to 
hear  the  music,  and  almost  inevitably  drifted 
through  the  race,  onto  the  wheel,  and  in- 
creased the  power.  The  fishes'  horns  used  to 
get  entangled  in  the  wheel  and  injure  the  fish  ; 
so  Mr.  Bowersock,  who  is  a  kind-hearted  man 
and  very  persistent,  had  a  lot  of  the  fish  caught 
and  dehorned,  and  in  a  year  or  two  he  had  a 
large  herd  of  hornless  catfish.  These  fish  not 
only  turn  out  to  hear  the  music,  but  they  have 
learned  to  enjoy  the  trip  through  the  mill- 
race  and  over  the  wheel,  so  that  every  Sunday 
or  oftener  whole  families  of  catfish  —  and  they 
have  large  families  —  come  to  Bowersock's  dam 
to  shoot  the  chutes  something  as  people  go 
out  to  ride  on  the  scenic  railway.  Whenever 
the  water  in  the  river  gets  low  Mr.  Bowersock 
has  the  band  play  :  the  catfish  gather  and  go 
round  and  round  over  the  wheel,  furnishing 
power  for  the  Bowersock  mill  when  every 
other  wheel  on  the  river  is  idle  from  lack  of 
water. 
There  were  some  skeptical  folks  who  heard 


A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 


my  simple  story  and  affected  to  disbelieve. 
But  I  assured  them  that  it  could  be  easily 
proven,  and  if  they  would  go  to  Lawrence  I 
would  show  them  the  Bowersock  dam  and  the 
catfish.  It  is  always  a  good  idea  to  have  the 
proofs  for  a  fish  story. 

The  next  "lion"  on  board  is  Gov.  Fook, 
returning  from  the  Dutch  West  Indies,  where 
he  has  been  governing  the  islands  and  Dutch 
Guiana.  The  governor  is  a  well-informed 
gentleman,  and  a  splendid  player  of  pinochle. 
The  Dutch  have  the  thrifty  habit  of  making 
their  colonies  pay.  They  are  not  a  "world 
power"  and  do  not  have  to  be  experimenting 
with  efforts  to  lift  the  white  man's  burden. 
Their  idea  is  that  the  West-Indian  and  the 
East-Indian  who  live  under  the  Dutch  flag 
shall  work.  The  American  idea  is  to  educate 
and  convert  the  heathen  and  pension  them 
from  labor.  Our  theory  sounds  all  right,  but 
it  results  in  unhappy  Filipinos  and  increased 
expense  for  Americans.  The  Dutch  colonials 
pay  their  way  whether  they  get  an  education 
or  not. 


THE  LIONS   OF   THE   SHIP  23 

One  unfamiliar  with  modern  steamship 
travel  would  think  that  the  captain  and  his 
first  and  second  officers  were  the  important 
officials  on  board.  They  are  not.  The  officers 
rank  about  as  follows :  1st,  the  cook ;  2nd, 
the  engineer ;  3rd,  the  barber,  and  after  that 
the  rest.  The  cook  on  an  ocean  steamer  gets 
more  pay  than  the  captain,  and  is  now  ranked 
as  an  officer.  The  managing  director  of  a  big 
German  company  was  accustomed  on  visiting 
any  ship  of  their  line,  to  first  shake  hands  with 
the  cook  and  then  with  the  captain.  When 
one  of  the  officers  suggested  that  he  was  not 
following  etiquette  he  answered  that  there 
was  no  trouble  getting  captains  and  lieuten- 
ants but  it  was  a  darned  hard  job  to  find  a 
cook.  The  cook  has  to  buy,  plan  meals, 
supervise  the  kitchen  and  run  it  economically 
for  the  company  and  satisfactorily  for  the 
passengers,  for  over  2,000  people. 

The  barber  is  the  man  on  the  ship  who 
knows  everything  for  sure.  Ask  the  captain 
when  we  will  get  to  Rotterdam  and  he  will 
qualify  and  trim  his  answer  by  referring  to 
possible  winds  and  tides,  and  he  won't  say 
exactly.  Ask  the  barber  and  he  will  tell  you 


» 


A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 


we  will  get  there  at  10  o'clock  on  Friday 
night.  He  knows  everything  going  on  in  the 
boat,  from  the  kind  of  freight  carried  in  the 
hold  to  the  meaning  of  the  colors  painted  on 
the  smokestack.  During  this  voyage  I  have 
had  more  numerous  and  interesting  facts  than 
anybody,  because  I  have  not  fooled  with  talk- 
ing to  the  captain  or  the  purser  or  the  steward, 
but  gotten  my  information  straight  from  the 
fountain  of  knowledge,  the  barber  shop.  How- 
ever, this  is  not  peculiar  to  ships.  The  same 
principle  applies  at  Hutchinson  and  every 
other  town. 


Ocean  Currents 

STEAMSHIP  POTSDAM,  July  21. 
This  is  the  eleventh  day  of  the  voyage  from 
New  York,  and  if  the  Potsdam  does  not  have 
a  puncture  or  bust  a  singletree  she  will  ar- 
rive at  Rotterdam  late  tonight.  The  Pots- 
dam is  a  most  comfortable  boat,  but  it  is 
in  no  hurry.  It  keeps  below  the  Hutchin- 
son  speed  limit  of  fifteen  miles  an  hour. 
But  a  steamship  never  stops  for  water  or  oil, 
or  to  sidetrack  or  to  wait  for  connections. 
This  steady  pounding  of  fourteen  miles  an 
hour  makes  an  easy  speed  for  the  passenger, 
and  the  verdict  of  this  ship's  company  is  that 
the  Potsdam  is  a  bully  ship  and  the  captain 
and  the  cook  are  all  right. 

Nearly  all  the  way  across  the  Atlantic  we 
have  been  in  the  Gulf  stream.  I  have  read 
of  this  phenomenal  current  which  originates 
in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  comes  up  the  east- 
ern coast  of  the  United  States  so  warm  that 
it  affects  the  climate  wherever  it  touches. 

(25) 


26  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

Then  nearly  opposite  New  England  it  turns 
and  crosses  the  Atlantic,  a  river  of  warm 
water  many  miles  wide,  flowing  through  the 
ocean,  which  is  comparatively  cold.  This 
stream  is  a  help  to  the  boats  going  in  its  direc- 
tion, although  it  has  the  bad  feature  of  fre- 
quent fogs  caused  by  the  condensation  which 
comes  when  the  warm  and  cold  air  currents 
meet.  The  Gulf  stream  is  believed  to  be  re- 
sponsible for  the  green  of  Ireland  and  for 
the  winter  resorts  of  southern  England.  It 
goes  all  the  way  across  the  Atlantic  and  into 
the  English  Channel,  with  a  branch  off  to 
Ireland.  What  causes  the  Gulf  stream?  I 
forget  the  scientific  terms,  but  this  is  the  way 
it  is,  according  to  my  friend  Mr.  Vischer, 
formerly  of  the  German  navy.  The  water 
in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  is  naturally  warm. 
The  motion  of  the  earth,  from  west  to  east, 
and  other  currents  coming  into  the  gulf, 
crowd  the  warm  water  out  and  send  the  big 
wide  stream  into  the  Atlantic  with  a  whirl 
which  starts  it  in  a  northerly  and  easterly 
direction.  The  same  Providence  that  makes 
the  grass  grow  makes  the  course  of  the  cur- 
rent, and  it  flows  for  thousands  of  miles, 


OCEAN  CURRENTS  27 

gradually  dissipating  at  the  edges,  but  still 
a  warm-water  river  until  it  breaks  on  the 
coast  of  the  British  Isles  and  into  the  North 
Sea.  Perhaps  Mr.  Vischer  would  not  recog- 
nize this  explanation,  but  I  have  translated 
it  into  a  vernacular  which  I  can  understand. 

The  Gulf  stream  reminds  me  of  the  Medi- 
terranean. Not  having  much  else  to  worry 
about,  I  have  gone  to  worrying  over  the  Medi- 
terranean Sea.  The  ocean  always  flows  into 
the  sea.  The  current  through  the  strait  of 
Gibraltar  is  always  inward.  Many  great 
rivers  contribute  to  the  blue  waters  of  the 
great  sea.  There  is  no  known  outlet.  Why 
does  not  the  Mediterranean  run  over  and  fill 
the  Sahara  desert,  which  is  considerably  be- 
low the  sea-level?  Scientists  have  tried  to 
figure  this  out,  and  the  only  tangible  theory 
is  that  the  bottom  of  the  Mediterranean  leaks 
badly  in  some  places,  and  that  the  water  finds 
its  way  by  subterranean  channels  back  to 
the  ocean.  What  would  happen  if  an  erup- 
tion of  Vesuvius  should  stop  up  the  drain- 
pipe? Now  worry. 


28  A    JAYHAWKER   IN    EUROPE 

Tonight  we  saw  another  phenomenon,  the 
aurora  borealis.  It  looked  to  me  like  a  beau- 
tiful sunset  in  the  north.  We  are  sailing  in 
the  North  Sea  along  the  coast  of  Belgium, 
and  the  water  reaches  northward  to  the  pole. 
The  aurora  borealis  is  another  phenomenon 
not  easily  explained,  but  Mr.  Vischer  says  it 
is  probably  the  reflection  of  the  sun  from  the 
ice  mirror  of  the  Arctic.  And  it  does  make  you 
feel  peculiar  to  see  what  is  apparently  the 
light  of  the  sunset  flare  up  toward  the  "Dip- 
per" and  the  North  Star. 

Some  of  our  passengers  disembarked  today 
at  Boulogne.  This  was  the  first  time  the 
Potsdam  had  paused  since  she  left  New  York 
a  week  ago  last  Tuesday.  This  was  the  stop 
for  the  passengers  who  go  direct  to  Paris. 
The  Dutch  who  are  homeward  bound  and 
those  of  us  who  think  it  best  to  fool  around 
a  little  before  encountering  the  dangers  of 
Paris,  continue  to  Rotterdam.  We  should  be 
spending  the  evening  with  maps  and  guide 
books  preparing  ourselves  for  the  art  galleries, 
cathedrals,  canals  and  windmills.  As  a  mat- 
ter of  fact,  we  are  wondering  what  is  going 


OCEAN   CURRENTS  29 

on  at  home.  There  is  a  balance-wheel  in 
the  human  heart  that  makes  the  ordinary 
citizen  who  is  far  afield  or  afloat  turn  to  the 
thoughts  of  the  home  which  he  left,  seeking  a 
change. 

A  smoking-room  story :  An  American  in 
a  European  art  gallery  was  heading  an  aggre- 
gation of  family  and  friends  for  a  study  of 
art.  His  assurance  was  more  pronounced 
than  his  knowledge.  "See  this  beautiful 
Titian,"  he  said.  "What  glorious  color,  and 
mark  the  beauty  of  the  small  lines.  Isn't 
it  a  jim  dandy?  And  next  to  it  is  a  Rubens 
by  the  same  artist!" 


The  Dutch  Folks 

ROTTERDAM,  HOLLAND,  July  23. 

It  seemed  to  me  unnecessary,  but  I  had  to 
explain  to  some  friends  why  I  was  going 
especially  to  Holland.  It  is  the  biggest  little 
country  in  the  world.  In  art  it  rivals  Italy, 
in  business  it  competes  with  England,  his- 
torically it  has  had  more  thrills  to  the  mile 
than  France,  and  in  appearance  it  is  the 
oddest,  queerest,  and  most  different  from  our 
own  country,  of  all  the  nations  of  central 
Europe.  Holland  gives  you  more  for  your 
money  and  your  time  than  any  other,  and 
that's  why  I  am  back  here  to  renew  the  hur- 
ried acquaintance  with  the  Dutch  made  a 
few  years  ago. 

Landing  in  Rotterdam  was  an  experiment. 
The  guide  books  and  the  tourist  authorities 
pass  Rotterdam  over  with  brief  mention. 
Baedeker,  the  tripper's  friend,  suggests  that 
you  can  see  Rotterdam  in  a  half-day.  That 
is  because  Rotterdam  is  short  on  picture  gal- 
leries and  cathedrals.  It  is  a  great,  busy 

(30) 


THE   DUTCH    FOLKS  31 

city  of  a  half-million  people,  and  one  of  the 
most  active  commercially  in  the  world.  It 
is  the  port  where  the  boats  from  the  Rhine 
meet  the  ships  of  the  sea.  It  is  the  greatest 
freight  shipping  and  receiving  port  of  north- 
ern Europe.  It  is  the  com  ng  city  of  the 
north,  because  of  its  natural  advantages  in 
cheap  freight  rates.  After  looking  it  over 
hurriedly  it  seems  to  me  to  be  one  of  the  most 
interesting  of  cities.  I  am  not  going  to  run 
away  from  cathedrals  and  galleries.  I  am 
not  intending  to  dodge  when  I  see  a  beauti- 
ful landscape  coming.  But  I  have  done  my 
duty  in  the  past  and  have  seen  the  great 
cathedrals  and  the  exhibitions  of  art.  No 
one  can  come  to  Europe  and  not  see  these 
things  once,  for  if  he  did  he  would  not  be 
able  to  lift  up  his  head  in  the  presence  of 
other  travelers.  But  he  does  not  have  to  do 
them  a  second  time.  If  I  want  to  see  pic- 
tures of  Dutch  ladies  labeled  "Madonna," 
I  will  see  them.  If  I  don't  want  to,  I  do  not 
have  to.  In  other  words,  if  I  go  to  the  "tour- 
ist delights"  it  will  be  my  own  fault. 

I  would  rather  see  the  people  themselves 
than  the  pictures  of  them.     I  want  to  observe 


32  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

how  they  work,  what  they  work  for,  what 
their  prospects  are,  and  wherein  they  differ 
from  the  great  Americans. 

Man  made  most  of  Holland.  Nearly  all 
of  the  country  is  below  the  level  of  the  sea, 
much  of  it  many  feet  below.  All  that  keeps 
the  tide  of  the  North  Sea  from  flooding  the 
country  with  from  ten  to  a  hundred  feet  of 
water  every  day  are  the  dikes  which  man  has 
built.  Behind  these  huge  embankments  lies 
a  country  as  flat  as  the  flattest  prairie  in  Kan- 
sas. A  few  sandhills  and  an  occasional  little 
rise  of  ground  might  stick  out  of  the  water 
if  the  dikes  broke,  but  I  doubt  it.  This 
"made"  land  has  been  fertilized  and  built 
up  by  the  silt  of  the  rivers,  added  to  by  the 
labor  and  science  of  man,  until  it  is  a  vast 
market  garden.  The  water  of  the  rivers  is 
diverted  in  every  direction  into  canals.  There 
is  no  current  to  the  rivers ;  the  surface  is  too 
flat,  and  the  fresh  water  is  backed  up  twice 
a  day  by  the  ocean  tides  at  the  mouths. 
There  are  practically  no  locks  and  the  move- 
ment of  the  water  is  hardly  perceptible,  ex- 
cept near  the  coast,  where  it  responds  to  the 


THE   DUTCH   FOLKS 


advance  and  retreat  of  the  sea.  These  canals 
are  an  absolute  necessity  for  drainage,  other- 
wise the  country  would  be  a  swamp.  Then 
they  are  used  as  roads,  and  practically  all  the 
freight  is  carried  to  market  cheaply  in  canal- 
boats.  The  canals  also  serve  as  fences.  The 
drainage  water  is  pumped  by  windmills,  which 
are  then  used  to  furnish  power  for  every 
imaginable  manufacturing  purpose,  from  saw- 
ing lumber  to  grinding  wheat.  The  cheap 
wind-power  enabled  the  people  to  clear  the 
land  of  water.  So  you  see  why  there  are 
dikes,  canals  and  windmills  in  Holland  :  be- 
cause they  were  the  only  available  instru- 
ments in  the  hand  of  man  to  beat  back  the 
sea  and  build  a  productive  soil.  They  were 
not  inserted  in  the  Holland  landscape  for 
beauty  or  for  art's  sake,  but  because  they 
were  necessities  ;  and  yet  great  artists  come 
to  Holland  to  paint  pictures  of  these  practical 
things,  and  when  they  want  to  add  more 
beauty  they  insert  Dutch  cattle  and  wooden 
shoes.  All  of  which  shows  that  the  plain 
everyday  things  around  us  are  really  pic- 
turesque ;  and  they  are,  whether  you  look  at 


34  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

the  sandhills  along  the  Arkansas  or  the  dunes 
along  the  North  Sea. 

In  this  little  country,  containing  12,500 
square  miles  of  land  and  water,  smaller  than 
the  Seventh  congressional  district  of  Kansas, 
live  almost  6,000,000  of  the  busiest  people 
on  earth.  Their  character  may  be  drawn 
from  their  history.  They  first  beat  the  ocean 
out  of  the  arena  and  then  made  the  soil. 
They  met  and  overcame  more  obstacles  than 
any  other  people  in  getting  their  land.  And 
then  for  several  centuries  they  had  to  fight 
all  the  rest  of  Europe  to  keep  from  being  ab- 
sorbed by  one  or  the  other  of  the  great  powers. 
They  drove  out  the  Spaniards  at  a  time  when 
Spain  was  considered  invincible.  They  licked 
England  on  the  sea,  and  the  Dutch  Admiral 
Tromp  sailed  up  and  down  the  Channel  with 
a  broom  at  the  mast  of  his  ship.  They  drove 
Napoleon's  soldiers  and  his  king  out  of  the 
country.  They  never  willingly  knuckled  down 
to  anybody,  and  they  never  stayed  down  long 
when  they  were  hit. 

The  Dutch  have  for  centuries  been  con- 
sidered the  best  traders  in  Europe.  They 


THE   DUTCH   FOLKS  35 

have  the  ports  for  commerce  and  they  have 
the  money.  They  own  706,000  square  miles 
of  colonies,  with  a  population  six  times  as 
large  as  their  own.  From  the  beginning  they 
have  been  ruled  by  merchants  and  business 
men,  rather  than  by  kings  and  princes,  by 
men  who  knew  how  to  buy  and  sell  and  fight. 
They  have  been  saving  and  thrifty,  and  can 
dig  up  more  cash  than  any  other  bunch  of  in- 
habitants on  the  globe.  They  have  sunk 
some  money  in  American  railroads,  but  they 
have  made  it  back,  and  they  always  take  in- 
terest. Market-gardening  and  manufactur- 
ing and  trade  have  been  their  resources,  and 
nothing  can  beat  that  three  of  a  kind  for 
piling  up  profits  and  providing  a  way  to  keep 
the  money  working. 

Of  course  these  characteristics  and  this  en- 
vironment have  made  the  Dutch  peculiar  in 
some  ways,  and  they  are  generally  counted 
a  little  close  or  "near."  They  habitually  use 
their  small  coin,  the  value  of  two-fifths  of  an 
American  cent,  and  they  want  and  give  all 
that  is  coming.  They  have  good  horses,  fat 
stomachs,  and  lots  of  children.  They  are 
pleasant  but  not  effusive,  and  they  are  as 


36  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

proud  of  their  country  as  are  the  inhabitants 
of  any  place  on  earth.  They  believe  in  every- 
body working,  including  the  women  and  the 
dogs.  Their  struggle  with  the  sea  never  ends, 
and  they  follow  the  same  persistent  course  in 
every  line  of  development.  They  are  so  clean 
it  is  a  wonder  they  are  comfortable,  and  they 
believe  in  eating  and  drinking  and  having  a 
good  time,  just  so  it  doesn't  cost  too  much. 
They  are  a  great  people,  and  here's  looking 
at  them. 


In  Old  Dordrecht 

DORDRECHT,  July  23. 

This  is  the  oldest  town  in  Holland,  and  once 
upon  a  time  was  the  great  commercial  city. 
It  is  about  fifteen  miles  from  Rotterdam,  and 
remember  that  fifteen  miles  is  a  long  distance 
in  this  country.  It  is  built  upon  an  island; 
two  rivers  and  any  number  of  canals  run 
around  it  and  through  it  whenever  the  tide 
ebbs  or  flows.  Good-sized  ocean  steamers 
come  to  its  wharves,  and  until  other  cities 
developed  deeper  harbors  Dordrecht  was  the 
Hutchinson  of  southwest  Holland.  And  now 
let  me  explain  that  the  people  of  this  country 
do  not  call  it  Holland,  but  The  Netherland. 
Originally  Holland  was  the  western  part  of 
the  present  Netherland.  Dordrecht  is  in  old 
South  Holland.  About  nine  hundred  years 
ago  the  Count  of  Holland,  who  then  ruled  in 
this  precinct,  decided  to  levy  a  tax  or  a  tariff 
on  all  goods  shipped  on  this  route,  the  main 
traveled  road  from  England  to  the  Orient. 
The  other  counts  and  kings  and  bishops 

(37) 


38  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

kicked,  but  after  a  fight  the  right  of  the  Count 
of  Holland  was  vindicated,  and  he  built  the 
city  of  Dordrecht  as  a  sort  of  customs  house. 
This  was  in  1008.  For  several  hundred  years 
Dordrecht  prospered  and  was  known  as  a 
great  commercial  city.  Then  Antwerp,  Rot- 
terdam and  Amsterdam  came  forward  with 
better  harbors,  and  Dordrecht  took  a  back 
seat.  But  it  has  always  been  one  of  the  im- 
portant places  in  The  Netherland.  When 
William  of  Orange  took  hold  of  the  revolution 
against  Spain,  the  first  conference  of  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Dutch  states  was  held  in 
Dordrecht,  and  it  was  always  loyal  to  the 
cause  of  Dutch  freedom.  The  best  hotel  and 
restaurant  in  the  city  today  is  The  Orange, 
named  for  the  royal  house  which  has  so  long 
been  at  the  head  of  the  Dutch  government. 
My  idea  of  a  really  important  statesman  is 
one  for  whom  hotels  and  cigars  are  named 
centuries  after  he  has  passed  away. 

This  is  Sunday,  and  I  am  forced  to  believe 
that  the  Dutch  are  not  good  churchgoers.  We 
went  to  the  evening  service  in  the  great  cathe- 
dral. In  fact,  we  went  to  the  cathedral  and 


IN   OLD   DORDRECHT  39 

suddenly  the  service  began  without  our  hav- 
ing time  to  retire  gracefully.  So  we  decided 
to  stay,  and  in  a  prominent  place  was  a  list 
of  the  prices  of  seats.  Some  cost  ten  cents, 
some  five  cents,  and  some  were  marked  free. 
I  handed  ten  cents  to  the  lady  in  charge,  and 
we  took  two  seats  in  the  rear,  which  I  after- 
ward discovered  were  free.  The  women  seem 
to  run  the  church  much  as  they  do  at  home. 
The  Dutch  hymns  were  not  so  bad,  but  the 
Dutch  sermon  was  not  interesting  to  me. 
During  the  closing  song,  we  thought  we  would 
slip  out  quietly,  but  when  we  reached  the  door 
we  found  it  locked.  The  custom  is  to  lock 
the  door  and  allow  no  one  to  enter  or  leave 
during  the  service,  but  as  a  special  favor  to 
Americans,  who  evidently  did  not  know  what 
they  were  doing,  the  guardian  of  the  door  un- 
locked it,  and  out  we  went  amid  general 
interest  of  the  congregation. 

We  came  from  Rotterdam  on  a  little  steam- 
boat, which  scooted  along  the  rivers  and  canals 
like  a  street  car.  Very  often  the  canal  was 
built  higher  than  the  adjoining  land,  and  it 
gave  the  peculiar  feeling  of  boating  in  the  air. 


40  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

There  is  no  waste  ground.  Every  foot  of  it 
not  occupied  by  a  house  or  a  chicken-yard,  is 
pasture  or  under  cultivation.  Every  farmer 
has  a  herd  of  those  black-and-white  cattle. 
Some  of  the  herds  are  as  many  as  six  or  seven 
cows.  But  every  cow  acted  as  if  she  were 
doing  her  full  duty  toward  making  Holland 
the  wealthiest  of  nations. 

The  streets  of  Dordrecht  are  generally  nar- 
row, like  those  of  all  old  towns.  Many  of  the 
buildings  are  very  old,  and  a  favorite  style  of 
architecture  is  to  have  the  front  project  several 
feet  forward  over  the  street.  The  tops  of 
opposite  buildings  often  almost  meet.  I  don't 
see  why  they  do  not  meet  and  come  down 
kerwhack,  but  they  don't.  Imagine  these 
quaint  streets  with  old  Dutch  houses,  white 
and  blue,  with  red  tiled  roofs,  and  green  and 
yellow  thrown  in  to  give  them  color,  with 
angles  and  dormers  and  curious  corners,  the 
tops  projecting  toward  one  another,  and  you 
can  see  how  interesting  a  Dutch  street  can 
be  if  it  tries,  as  it  does  in  Dordrecht.  Of  course 
in  the  outer  and  newer  parts  of  the  town  are 
larger  streets  and  more  modern  houses,  with 


THE    SCRUBBING-BRUSH    THE    NATIONAL   EMBLEM    OF    HOLLAND 


IN   OLD   DORDRECHT  41 

beautiful  gardens  and  flower-beds  that  would 
baffle  a  painter  for  color,  but  old  Dordrecht 
is  the  most  interesting.  Add  to  the  street 
picture  a  canal  down  the  middle,  and  you  get 
a  frequent  variation.  Put  odd  Dutch  boats  in 
the  water,  fill  them  with  freight  and  children, 
and  you  have  another.  If  this  were  not 
picturesque  it  would  be  grotesque  to  American 
eyes,  but  it  is  the  actual  development  of  Dutch 
civilization,  and  it  is  the  thing  you  pay  money 
for  when  some  artist  catches  the  inspiration 
which  he  can  get  here  if  anywhere. 

Of  course  the  streets  are  paved,  and  they 
are  as  clean  as  the  floor  of  an  ordinary  Ameri- 
can dwelling.  Everyone  knows  that  the 
Dutch  are  clean  and  that  their  national  em- 
blem ought  to  be  a  scrubbing-brush.  They 
are  so  clean  that  it  almost  hurts.  Very  often 
there  are  no  sidewalks,  and  when  there  are 
they  are  not  level,  and  are  generally  fenced  in. 
They  belong  to  the  abutting  property,  and 
are  not  to  be  walked  on  by  the  public.  The 
people  walk  in  the  street,  and  that  custom  is 
a  little  hard  to  get  used  to.  Before  the  front 
window  of  nearly  every  house  is  a  mirror,  so 


42  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

fastened  that  those  within  the  house  can  see 
up  and  down  the  street,  observe  who  is  com- 
ing and  who  is  going,  and  where.  This  cus- 
tom, if  introduced  at  home,  would  save  a  good 
deal  of  neck-stretching.  But  at  first  one  is 
overly  conscious  of  the  many  eyes  which  are 
observing  his  walk  and  the  many  minds  which 
are  undoubtedly  trying  to  guess  just  where 
and  why  and  who.  But  this  mirror  custom 
does  not  bother  the  Dutch  young  folks,  not 
much.  It  is  also  the  custom  for  the  young 
man  and  his  sweetheart  to  parade  along  the 
street  hand  in  hand,  arm  in  arm,  or  catch-as- 
catch-can,  if  they  want  to, — and  they  want  to 
a  great  deal.  At  first  this  looked  like  a  rude 
demonstration  of  affection,  but  after  you  have 
observed  it  some,  say  for  an  hour  or  so,  it 
doesn't  seem  half  bad, —  if  you  were  only 
Dutch. 

Dordrecht  has  about  40,000  people,  and  all 
of  them  are  on  the  street  or  at  the  window  on 
Sunday.  The  saloons  are  open,  but  nothing 
is  sold  stronger  than  gin.  The  Dutch  in  a 
quiet,  gentlemanly  and  ladylike  way,  are  evi- 
dently trying  to  consume  all  the  beer  that  can 


IN   OLD    DORDRECHT  43 

be  made  in  Holland  or  imported.  Of  course 
they  can't  succeed,  but,  as  the  story  goes,  they 
can  probably  make  the  breweries  work  nights. 
There  is  really  a  need  for  a  temperance  organ- 
ization in  this  country,  and  I  should  say  it 
would  have  work  enough  to  last  it  several 
thousand  years. 


The  Dutchesses 

ROTTERDAM,  July  24. 

The  secret  of  the  success  of  the  Dutch  is  no 
secret  at  all.  Everybody  works,  not  except- 
ing father,  grandfather  and  grandmother.  I 
suppose  this  habit  began  with  the  unceasing 
fight  against  the  sea,  the  building  of  the  dikes, 
the  pumping  out  of  the  water,  and  the  con- 
struction of  a  soil.  It  has  continued  until 
there  is  no  other  people  more  persistently  in- 
dustrious. They  rise  early  and  get  busy. 
The  women  cook  and  scrub  and  work  on  the 
canal-boats,  in  the  shops  and  in  the  fields. 
The  children  go  to  school  eleven  months  in 
the  year.  The  men  are  stout,  quick,  and  work 
from  early  to  late.  Even  the  dogs  work  in 
Holland.  At  first  it  seemed  rather  hard  to 
see  the  dogs  hitched  to  the  little  carts  and 
pulling  heavy  loads,  sometimes  a  man  riding 
on  the  cart.  This  is  a  serious  country  for 
the  canine,  and  must  be  the  place  where  the 
phrase  "worked  like  a  dog"  got  its  start.  In 
most  places  the  dog  is  the  companion  and  pet 

(44) 


THE   DUTCHESSES  45 

of  man,  but  in  Holland  he  has  to  do  his  part 
in  making  a  living,  and  he  soon  learns  to  draw 
the  load,  pulling  hard  and  conscientiously  on 
the  traces.  He  has  little  time  to  fight  and 
frolic,  but  he  has  the  great  pleasure  of  the  rest 
that  comes  from  hard  labor.  However,  if  I 
were  a  dog  and  were  picking  out  a  country  for 
a  location,  I  would  stay  far  away  from  Hol- 
land. It  is  no  uncommon  sight  to  see  a 
woman  with  a  strap  over  her  shoulders  drag- 
ging a  canal-boat  or  pulling  a  little  wagon. 
In  fact,  the  women  of  The  Netherland  have 
rights  which  they  are  not  even  asking  in  the 
United  States,  and  no  one  disputes  their 
prerogative  of  hard  work.  There  are  no  "  Suf- 
fragettes" in  Holland,  but  a  woman  can  do 
nearly  anything  she  wants  to  unless  it  is 
vote,  which  she  apparently  does  not  care  for. 
There  are  many  rich  Hollanders  ;  in  fact,  there 
are  few  that  are  poor.  But  they  do  not  con- 
stitute a  leisure  class.  The  wealthy  Dutch 
gent  merely  works  the  harder  and  the  wealthy 
Dutch  "vrouw"  scrubs  and  manages  the 
household  or  runs  the  store  just  as  she  did  in 
the  earlier  years  of  struggle. 


46  A   JAYHAWKER   IN    EUROPE 

Speaking  of  the  Dutch  women,  I  think  they 
are  good-looking.  They  are  almost  invari- 
ably strong  and  well  in  appearance,  with  good 
complexions,  clever  eyes  and  capable  expres- 
sion. They  may  weigh  a  little  strong  for  some, 
but  that  is  a  matter  of  taste.  The  old  Dutch 
peasant  costumes  are  still  worn  in  places,  but 
as  a  rule  their  clothes  come  from  the  same 
models  as  those  for  the  American  women. 
The  Dutchess  has  been  reared  to  work,  to 
manage,  and  to  advise  with  her  man.  She  is 
intelligent  in  appearance  and  quick  in  action. 
She  is  educated  and  companionable.  What 
if  her  waist  line  disappears  ?  What  if  she  has 
no  ankles,  only  feet  and  legs?  Perhaps  it 
will  be  thought  that  I  am  going  too  far  in  my 
investigation,  but  the  Dutch  ladies  ride  bi- 
cycles so  generally  that  even  a  man  from 
America  can  see  a  few  things,  no  matter  how 
hard  he  tries  to  look  the  other  way  and  comes 
near  getting  run  over. 

The  Queen  of  Holland  is  a  woman.  This  is 
not  a  startling  statement,  for  so  far  as  I  know 
a  man  has  never  been  a  queen  in  any  country. 
But  there  is  no  king.  Queen  Wilhelmina's 


THE   DUTCHESSES  47 

husband,  Prince  Henry,  is  not  a  king.  If 
there  is  any  ruling  to  do  in  Holland  it  is  done 
by  Wilhelmina.  Henry  can't  even  appoint  a 
notary  public.  No  one  pays  any  attention  to 
him,  and  I  understand  Wilhelmina  has  given 
it  out  that  what  Henry  says  does  not  go  with 
her.  I  am  trying  to  investigate  the  status  of 
affairs  in  the  royal  family,  because  I  had 
entertained  the  idea  that  Wilhelmina  was  an 
unfortunate  young  queen  with  a  bad  husband. 
That  may  have  been  so  a  few  years  ago,  but 
now  I  understand  she  bats  poor  Henry  around 
scandalously,  pays  no  heed  to  his  wishes,  and 
pointedly  calls  his  attention  about  three  times 
a  day  to  the  fact  that  he  is  nothing  but  a  one- 
horse  prince  while  she  is  the  boss  of  the  family 
and  the  kingdom.  This  pleases  the  Dutch 
immensely,  for  Henry  is  a  German  and  the 
Dutch  don't  like  the  Germans.  They  think 
the  Germans  are  conceited  and  arrogant,  and 
that  Emperor  William  is  planning  to  event- 
ually annex  The  Netherland  to  Germany.  So 
every  time  Wilhelmina  turns  down  the  Ger- 
man prince  all  the  Dutch  people  think  it  is 
fine,  and  her  popularity  is  immense.  Henry 
gets  a  good  salary,  but  his  job  would  be  a  hard 


48  A    JAYHAWKER   IN    EUROPE 

one  for  a  self-respecting  American.  I  under- 
stand he  is  much  dissatisfied,  but  he  was  not 
raised  to  a  trade,  and  if  Wilhelmina  should 
stop  his  pay  he  would  go  hungry  and  thirsty, 
two  conditions  which  would  make  life  intoler- 
able for  a  German  prince. 

Wilhelmina  has  a  daughter,  two  years  old, 
named  Juliana.  I  suppose  Henry  is  related  to 
Juliana,  but  he  gets  no  credit  for  it.  Every- 
where you  go  you  see  pictures  of  Wilhelmina 
and  Juliana,  but  not  of  Henry.  A  princess 
is  really  what  the  Dutch  want,  for  their  mon- 
arch has  actually  no  power,  and  the  govern- 
ment is  entirely  managed  by  the  representa- 
tives of  the  people.  But  a  prince  would  likely 
be  wild,  and  might  want  to  mix  into  public 
affairs.  A  princess  makes  a  better  figurehead 
of  the  state.  She  will  be  satisfied  with  a  new 
dress  and  a  hand-decorated  crown,  and  not  be 
wanting  an  army  and  battleships  as  a  prince 
might  do.  Wilhelmina  represents  to  the  Dutch 
people  the  ruling  family  of  Orange,  which 
brought  them  through  many  crises,  and 
Juliana  is  another  Orange.  Henry  is  only  a 
lemon  which  the  Germans  handed  to  them. 


THE   DUTCHESSES  49 

The  royal  family  are  off  on  a  visit  to  Brussels, 
and  I  have  not  met  any  of  them.  This  in- 
formation I  have  gleaned  from  the  hotel 
porters,  the  boat  captains,  the  chambermaids, 
and  the  clerks  who  speak  English.  I  imagine 
I  have  come  nearer  getting  the  facts  than  if  I 
had  sent  in  my  card  at  the  royal  palace. 


The  Pilgrims'  Start 

DELFTSHAVEN,  July  25. 
This  is  the  town  from  which  the  Pilgrims 
sailed  on  the  trip  which  was  to  make  Ply- 
mouth Rock  famous.  Nearly  a  hundred  of 
the  congregation  of  Rev.  John  Robinson  at 
Leyden  came  to  this  little  suburb  of  Rotter- 
dam, and  embarked  on  the  Speedwell.  The 
night  before  the  start  was  spent  by  the  con- 
gregation in  exhortation  and  prayer  in  a  little 
church  which  still  stands,  and  has  the  fact 
recorded  on  a  big  tablet.  The  Pilgrims  went 
to  Southampton,  discovered  the  Speedwell 
was  not  seaworthy,  and  transferred  to  the 
Mayflower. 

Those  English  Puritans  who  had  emigrated 
from  their  own  country  to  Holland  were  con- 
sidered "religious  cranks"  even  in  those  days 
when  fighting  and  killing  for  religion  was  re- 
garded the  proper  occupation  of  a  Christian. 
The  Puritans  in  England  were  strong  in  num- 
bers, and  while  Queen  Elizabeth  had  frowned 

(50) 


THE  PILGRIMS'  START  51 

upon  them  as  dissenters  from  the  church  of 
which  she  was  the  head,  she  was  politician 
enough  to  restrain  the  persecution  of  them,  for 
they  were  useful  citizens  and  loved  to  die  fight- 
ing Spaniards.  But  a  few  extremists  who  per- 
sisted in  preaching  in  public  places  were 
sentenced  to  jail,  and  some  of  these  skipped 
to  Holland.  Queen  Elizabeth  died  and  James 
became  king  of  England,  and  he  was  a  pin- 
head.  He  hated  non-conformists  as  much  as 
Catholics.  So,  more  of  the  Puritans  who 
could  not  pretend  to  conform  went  to  Holland, 
and  in  Leyden  and  Amsterdam  they  founded 
little  settlements.  Holland  was  a  land  of 
liberty,  and  the  Puritans  wanted  the  right  to 
disagree,  non-conform,  argue  and  debate  over 
disputed  questions.  There  were  several  con- 
gregations of  them,  and  they  did  not  agree 
on  important  doctrines,  such  as  whether  John 
the  Baptist's  hair  was  parted  on  the  side  or 
in  the  middle.  Public  debates  were  held  and 
great  enjoyment  therefrom  resulted,  although 
there  is  no  record  of  anyone  having  his  opinion 
changed  by  the  arguments,  and  the  side  whose 
story  you  are  reading  always  overcame  the 
other. 


52  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

The  Puritans  did  not  mix  much  with  the 
Dutch,  and  naturally  grew  lonesome  in  their 
exile.  They  conceived  the  plan  of  emigrat- 
ing to  the  New  World  and  there  establishing 
the  right  to  worship  God  in  accord  with  their 
own  conscience.  Influential  Puritans  in  Eng- 
land who  had  not  been  so  cranky  as  to  leave 
home,  helped  with  the  king,  and  finally  they 
secured  permission  from  James  to  settle  in 
America  and  to  own  the  land  they  should 
develop.  James  remarked  at  the  time  he 
would  prefer  that  they  go  to  Hell,  where  they 
belonged,  but  he  was  needing  a  loan  from  the 
English  Puritans,  so  he  gave  the  permit.  The 
Puritans  in  old  England  also  provided  a  good 
part  of  the  money  with  which  to  fit  out  the 
expedition.  At  the  time  there  was  a  general 
movement  among  the  Puritans  in  England 
for  a  big  migration  to  the  New  World.  This 
was  to  be  a  sort  of  experiment  station.  Ah  the 
time,  James  was  king,  and  Charles,  a  dissolute 
prince,  was  to  follow.  The  Puritans  were  sick 
at  heart  and  ready  to  leave  their  native  land. 
But  soon  after  the  Pilgrims  had  made  their 
settlement  in  New  England,  the  Puritans  at 
home  developed  leaders  who  put  them  into 


THE  PILGRIMS'  START  53 

the  fight  for  Old  England.  Then  along  came 
Cromwell,  and  for  many  years  English  Puri- 
tans were  running  the  government,  and  the 
necessity  for  a  safe  place  across  the  sea  and  an 
asylum  for  religious  liberty  disappeared  so  far 
as  they  were  concerned,  though  their  interest 
in  the  Colonists  was  maintained.  The  sons 
of  these  Puritans  who  crossed  the  ocean  rather 
than  go  to  the  established  church,  refused  to 
pay  a  tax  on  tea,  about  150  years  later,  and 
formed  a  new  country  with  a  new  flag.  That 
was  part  of  the  result  of  the  sailing  of  the  little 
company  from  Rev.  Mr.  Robinson's  flock  after 
a  night  spent  in  prayer  in  this  town  of  Delfts- 
haven,  just  about  this  time  of  the  year  in  1620. 

The  stay  of  the  Puritans  in  Holland  had  no 
effect  on  the  Dutch.  They  let  the  Puritans 
shoot  their  mouths  any  way  they  pleased,  and 
the  Puritan  only  prospers  and  proselytes  on 
opposition.  But  the  Dutch  of  the  present 
day  are  getting  good  returns  for  that  invest- 
ment of  long  ago.  There  are  a  dozen  places 
in  Holland,  here  and  at  Amsterdam  and  Ley- 
den,  visited  by  Americans  every  year  because 
they  are  historic  spots  in  connection  with  the 


54  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

Pilgrims.  At  each  and  every  place  the  con- 
tribution-box is  in  sight,  and  the  Dutch  church 
or  town  which  owns  the  property  gets  a  hand- 
some revenue.  New  England  churches  give 
liberally  to  the  fixing  up  of  the  Dutch  churches 
which  can  show  a  record  of  having  been  just 
once  the  place  where  some  Puritan  preached. 

Wooden  shoes  have  not  gone  out  of  style  in 
Holland.  They  are  still  worn  generally  in  the 
country,  and  by  the  poorer  children  and  men 
in  the  cities.  They  are  cheap,  which  is  a  big 
recommendation  to  the  Dutch.  They  are 
warm,  said  to  be  much  warmer  than  leather. 
It  does  not  hurt  them  to  be  wet,  a  very  de- 
sirable feature  in  this  water-soaked  country. 
These  are  all  good  reasons,  and  as  soon  as  you 
get  used  to  the  clatter  and  the  apparent  awk- 
wardness you  appreciate  the  fact  that  the 
"klompen,"  as  the  Dutch  call  them,  are  a 
reasonable  style  for  Holland.  They  are  not 
worn  in  the  house  but  dropped  in  the  entry- 
way,  and  house  shoes  or  stocking  feet  go  with- 
in. The  Dutch  farmer  is  proud  of  his  clogs, 
paints  them,  carves  them,  and  scrubs  them. 
A  man  with  idle  time,  like  a  fisherman,  will 
often  spend  months  decorating  a  pair  of 


THE  PILGRIMS'  START  55 

wooden  shoes.  They  are  considered  a  proper 
present  from  a  young  husband  to  his  bride, 
and  she  will  use  them  when  scrubbing,  which 
is  a  good  part  of  the  time.  The  shoes  are 
generally  made  of  poplar,  and  to  the  size  of 
the  foot.  When  the  foot  grows  you  can  hollow 
out  a  little  more  shoe.  Wooden  shoes  are  as 
common  here  as  overalls  in  America,  and  they 
will  not  grow  less  popular  unless  Holland  goes 
dry — of  which  I  see  no  indication. 

The  farm-houses  are  usually  built  in  con- 
nection with  the  barns,  the  family  living  in 
front  and  the  stock  and  feed  occupying  the 
rear.  This  is  rather  customary  in  cold  cli- 
mates, and  you  must  remember  that  Holland 
is  farther  north  than  Quebec.  The  winters 
get  very  cold  and  the  canals  and  rivers  freeze 
over.  Skating  is  the  great  national  sport. 
There  does  not  seem  to  be  much  summer  sport 
except  scrubbing.  All  through  the  summer 
the  people  dig  and  weed  and  fertilize  and  pre- 
pare for  market.  The  dikes  and  canals  must 
be  maintained  and  the  best  made  of  a  short 
season.  In  the  winter  they  can  live  with  the 
pretty  black-and-white  cattle,  the  sheep  and 
the  horses,  and  have  a  good  time. 


Amsterdam,  and  Others 

AMSTERDAM,  July  27. 

This  is  the  largest  and  most  important  city 
of  Holland.  It  has  about  as  much  commerce 
as  Rotterdam,  and  is  longer  on  history,  manu- 
factures, art,  and  society.  It  was  the  first 
large  city  built  up  on  a  canal  system,  and  its 
600,000  population  is  a  proof  that  something 
can  be  built  out  of  nothing.  Along  about 
1300  and  1400  it  was  a  small  town  in  a  swamp. 
When  the  war  for  independence  from  Spain 
began,  in  1656,  Amsterdam  profited  by  its 
location  on  the  Zuyder  Zee.  The  Spaniards 
ruined  most  of  the  rival  towns  and  put  an  end 
to  the  commerce  of  Antwerp  for  a  while,  and 
Amsterdam  received  the  mechanics  and  mer- 
chants fleeing  from  the  soldiers  of  Alva.  The 
name  means  a  "dam,"  or  dike,  on  the  Amstel 
river.  The  swamp  was  reclaimed  from  the 
water  by  dikes  and  drainage  canals,  but  even 
now  every  house  in  the  city  must  have  its 
foundation  on  piles.  The  word  dam,  or  its 
inclusion  in  a  name,  means  just  about  what 

(56) 


AMSTERDAM,   AND    OTHERS  57 

it  does  in  English,  provided  you  refer  to  the 
proper  dam,  not  the  improper  damn.  As 
nearly  all  Dutch  towns  are  built  on  dam  sites 
a  great  many  of  them  are  some-kind-of-a-dam. 
Amsterdam  is  built  below  the  level  of  the  sea, 
which  is  just  beside  it,  and  the  water  in  the 
canals  is  pumped  out  by  big  engines  and  forced 
over  the  dike  into  the  sea.  If  this  were  not 
done  the  water  would  come  over  the  town  site 
and  Amsterdam  would  go  back  to  swamp  and 
not  be  worth  a  dam  site. 

Amsterdam  is  the  chief  money  market  of 
Holland,  and  one  of  the  financial  capitals  of 
the  world.  It  is  the  place  an  American  pro- 
moter makes  for  when  he  is  out  after  the  stuff 
with  which  to  make  the  female  horse  travel. 
A  large  part  of  its  business  men  are  Jews,  and 
their  ability  and  wealth  have  maintained  the 
credit  of  Dutch  interests  in  all  parts  of  the 
globe.  At  a  time  when  the  Jews  were  being 
persecuted  nearly  everywhere  they  were  given 
liberty  in  Holland,  and  much  of  the  country's 
progress  is  due  to  that  fact  and  to  the  religious 
toleration  of  all  kinds  of  sects. 

The  canals  run  along  nearly  all  the  streets, 


58  A   JAYHAWKER   IN    EUROPE 

and  are  filled  with  freight-boats  from  the  coun- 
try and  from  other  cities.  Thousands  of  these 
canal-boats  lie  in  the  canals  of  Amsterdam  and 
are  the  homes  of  the  boatmen,  who  are  the 
commerce  carriers  of  Holland.  Under  our 
window  is  tied  up  a  canal-boat  which  could 
carry  as  much  freight  as  a  dozen  American 
box  cars.  The  power  is  a  sail  or  a  pole  or  a 
man  or  a  woman,  whichever  is  most  conven- 
ient. The  boatman  and  his  wife  and  ten  or 
fifteen  children,  with  a  dog  and  a  cat,  live 
comfortably  in  one  end,  and  we  can  watch 
them  at  their  work  and  play.  A  dozen  more 
such  boats  are  lying  in  this  block,  some  with 
steam  engines  and  some  with  gasoline  engines. 
The  Standard  Oil  Company  does  a  great  busi- 
ness in  Holland,  and  as  usual  is  a  great  help  to 
the  people.  It  is  introducing  cheap  power  for 
canal-boats  by  means  of  proper  engines,  and 
in  a  short  time  will  probably  free  the  boatman 
and  his  wife  from  the  pull-and-push  system 
received  from  the  good  old  days. 

The  canals  are  lined  with  big  buildings, 
business  and  residence,  mostly  from  four  to 
six  stories  high,  with  the  narrow,  peaked  and 
picturesque  architecture  made  familiar  to  us 


AMSTERDAM,   AND    OTHERS  59 

by  the  pictures.  All  kinds  of  color  are  used 
and  ornamented  fronts  are  common.  Imagine 
a  street  such  as  I  describe  and  you  have  this 
one  that  is  under  our  hotel  window  and  which 
is  the  universal  street  scene  of  Amsterdam. 
Some  one  called  this  the  Venice  of  the  North, 
but  to  my  mind  it  is  prettier  than  Venice, 
although  it  lacks  some  of  the  oriental  archi- 
tecture and  smell. 

Last  night  we  went  to  the  Rembrandt 
theatre  to  see  "The  Mikado,"  in  Dutch.  Of 
course  we  could  follow  the  music  of  the  old- 
time  friend,  and  the  language  made  the  play 
funnier  than  ever.  The  Dutch  are  not  near  so 
strong  on  music  as  are  their  German  or  French 
neighbors.  They  utilize  compositions  of  other 
nations,  and  American  airs  are  very  common. 
The  window  of  a  large  fine  music  store  is 
playing  up  "Has  Anybody  Here  Seen  Kelly?" 
A  few  Americans  were  at  the  big  garden 
Krasnapolsky,  listening  to  a  really  fine  orches- 
tra with  an  Austrian  leader.  We  sent  up  a  re- 
quest for  the  American  national  air  and  it 
came  promptly:  "Whistling  Rufus."  The 
Europeans  think  the  cake-walk  is  something 


60  A   JAYHAWKER   IN    EUROPE 

like  a  national  dance  in  our  country,  and  when- 
ever they  try  to  please  us  they  turn  loose 
one  of  our  rag-time  melodies.  They  do  not 
mind  chucking  the  "Georgia  Campmeeting " 
or  "Rings  on  My  Fingers  and  Bells  on  My 
Toes,"  into  a  program  of  Wagner  and  Tschudi 
and  other  composers  whom  we  are  taught  at 
home  to  consider  sacred. 

The  most  entertaining  feature  of  the  Am- 
sterdam landscape  that  I  have  seen  is  a  Dutch 
lady  in  a  hobble  skirt.  The  fashion  is  here 
all  right,  and  it  would  make  an  American 
hobble  appear  tame  and  common.  In  the 
first  place,  the  Dutch  lady  is  not  of  the  proper 
architecture,  and  in  the  second  place,  she  still 
wears  a  lot  more  underskirts,  or  whatever 
they  are,  than  are  considered  necessary  in 
Paris  or  Hutchinson.  But  she  does  not  ex- 
pand the  hobble.  The  shopping  street  of 
Amsterdam  is  filled  with  fashionably  dressed 
Dutch  ladies  who  look  like  tops,  and  who  are 
worth  coming  a  long  ways  to  see.  Far  be  it 
from  me  to  criticize  the  freaks  of  female 
fashion.  I  never  know  what  they  are  until 
after  they  are  past  due.  But  if  the  Dutch 


AMSTERDAM,   AND    OTHERS  61 

hobble  ever  reaches  the  American  side  of  the 
Atlantic  it  will  be  time  for  the  mere  men  to 
organize. 

The  greatest  art  gallery  in  Europe  is  here, 
The  Rijks  Museum.  I  went  to  see  it — once. 
I  do  not  get  the  proper  thrills  from  seeing  a 
thousand  pictures  in  thirty  minutes.  They 
make  me  tired.  But  Rembrandt's  Night 
Watch,  or  nearly  anything  a  good  Dutch 
artist  has  painted,  is  a  real  pleasure.  The 
Dutch  are  recognizing  their  own  modern  art, 
and  in  that  way  they  are  going  to  distance  the 
Italians.  The  Dutch  artists  are  good  at  pro- 
traying  people  and  common  things,  such  as 
cats  and  dogs  and  ships.  They  are  not  strong 
in  allegory  or  imaginative  work,  and  you  do 
not  have  to  be  educated  up  to  enjoy  them. 
And  they  run  a  little  fun  into  their  work  oc- 
casionally, which  would  shock  a  Dago  artist 
out  of  his  temperament. 

Wages  are  higher  in  Holland  than  elsewhere 
in  Europe.  A  street  car  conductor  gets  a 
dollar  a  day.  Ordinary  labor  is  paid  sixty  to 
eighty  cents  a  day.  Farm  laborer  about  $15 


A    JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 


per  month,  but  boards  himself.  A  good  all- 
around  hired  girl  is  a  dollar  a  week.  Me- 
chanics receive  from  one  dollar  to  two  dollars 
a  day.  The  necessaries  of  life  are  not  so  high 
as  with  us.  Vegetables  are  cheaper.  To- 
bacco is  much  less.  Meats  are  about  as  high. 
Clothing  is  cheaper,  but  our  people  wouldn't 
wear  it.  Beer  is  two  cents  a  glass  and  lemon- 
ade is  five  cents.  The  ordinary  workingman 
lives  on  soup,  vegetables,  and  very  little 
meat;  gets  a  new  suit  of  clothes  about  once 
in  five  years,  and  takes  his  family  to  a  garden 
for  amusement,  where  they  get  all  they  want 
for  ten  cents.  The  Dutch  citizen  on  foot  is 
plain,  honest,  a  little  rude,  but  of  good  heart 
and  very  accommodating.  I  have  not  met  the 
citizens  in  carriages  and  on  horseback,  who 
make  up  a  very  small  part  of  the  procession 
in  Holland. 


Cheeses  and  Bulbses 

ALKMAAR,  July  28. 

Of  course  Holland  is  the  greatest  cheese 
country  on  earth,  and  Alkmaar  is  the  biggest 
cheese  market  in  Holland.  Every  Friday  the 
cheesemakers  of  the  district  bring  their  prod- 
uct to  the  public  market,  and  buyers,  local 
and  foreign,  bargain  for  and  purchase  the 
cheeses.  That  is  why  we  came  to  Alkmaar 
on  Friday.  The  cheese  market  is  certainly 
an  interesting  and  novel  sight.  All  over  the 
big  public  square  are  piled  little  mounds  of 
cheeses,  shaped  like  large  grape-fruit  and  col- 
ored in  various  shades  of  red  and  yellow. 
Each  wholesaler  has  his  carriers  in  uniform 
of  white,  and  a  straw  hat  and  ribbons  col- 
ored as  a  livery.  When  a  sale  is  made,  two 
carriers  take  a  barrow  which  they  carry  sus- 
pended from  their  shoulders  and  with  a  sort 
of  two-step  and  many  cries  to  get  out  of  the 
way  they  bring  their  load  to  the  public  weigh- 
house,  where  it  is  officially  weighed.  Then 
off  the  cheeses  go  to  the  store-rooms  or  to 

(63) 


64  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

the  canal-boats  which  line  one  side  of  the 
square,  waiting  to  take  their  freight  to  the 
cities  or  to  the  sea.  The  farmers  look  over 
each  other's  cheeses  as  they  do  hogs  at  the 
Kansas  State  Fair,  with  comments  of  praise 
or  criticism.  There  is  much  chaffing  and  chaf- 
fering between  them  and  the  buyers.  In 
about  two  hours  the  cheeses  are  gone,  the 
square  is  empty  and  the  beer-houses  are  full. 
The  women-folks  do  not  take  an  active  part 
in  the  market,  but  they  are  present  and  look- 
ing things  over,  and  I  suspect  they  had  been 
permitted  to  milk  the  cows  and  make  the 
cheese. 

About  $3,000,000  worth  of  cheese  is  sold 
annually  in  the  Alkmaar  market.  The  coun- 
try round  about,  North  Holland,  is  all  small 
farms,  with  gardens  and  pastures  and  little 
herds  of  the  black-and-white  cattle.  The 
cheese  wholesales  at  about  60  cents  a  cheese, 
and  in  America  we  pay  about  twice  that  much 
for  the  same,  or  for  the  Edam,  which  is  like 
it.  The  farmers  look  prosperous,  drive  good 
horses  and  very  substantial  gaily  painted 
wagons. 


CHEESES   AND    BULBSES  65 

Alkmaar  has  18,000  population,  and  is  there- 
fore about  the  size  of  Hutchinson.  But  it  is 
a  good  deal  older.  Back  in  1573  it  success- 
fully defended  itself  against  the  Spaniards. 
The  name  means  "all  sea,"  because  the  coun- 
try was  originally  covered  with  water.  The 
land  is  kept  above  the  water  now  by  pump- 
ing and  pouring  into  canals  which  are  higher 
than  the  farms  through  which  they  flow. 
This  is  done  very  systematically  and  by  wind- 
mills. A  district  thus  maintained  is  called  a 
"polder,"  something  like  our  irrigation  dis- 
trict, and  on  one  of  them  near  Alkmaar,  about 
the  size  of  a  Kansas  township,  six  miles 
square,  there  are  51  windmills  working  all 
the  time,  pumping  the  water.  These  are  not 
little  windmills  like  those  in  a  Kansas  pasture, 
but  great  fellows  with  big  arms  fifty  feet  long, 
and  they  stand  out  over  the  polder  like  so 
many  giants.  The  picture  of  these  mills  in  a 
most  fertile  garden-spot,  with  canal  streaks 
here  and  there  and  boats  on  the  canals  looming 
up  above  the  land,  is  certainly  a  striking  one. 
And  it  shows  clearly  what  energy  can  do 
when  properly  applied. 


66  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

The  soil  is  as  sandy  as  in  South  Hutchin- 
son.  But  dirt  and  fertilizer  are  brought  from 
the  back  country  and  the  soil  is  kept  con- 
stantly renewed.  It  seems  to  me  that  with 
comparatively  little  work  the  sandy  soil  of 
the  Arkansas  valley  can  be  made  into  a  mar- 
ket garden,  producing  many  times  its  pres- 
ent value,  whenever  our  people  take  it  into 
their  heads  to  manufacture  their  own  soil 
and  apply  water  when  needed  and  not  just 
when  it  rains.  That  time  will  come,  but 
probably  not  until  a  dense  population  forces 
a  great  increase  in  production. 

I  have  another  idea.  Along  the  coast  of 
Holland  are  the  "sand  dunes,"  which  are 
exactly  like  our  sand  hills.  What  we  should 
do  is  to  change  the  name  from  sand  hills 
to  "dunes,"  brag  about  them  and  charge 
people  for  visiting  them.  The  city  of  Am- 
sterdam gets  its  supply  of  drinking-water  from 
the  dunes.  This  was  important  news  to  me, 
for  it  confirmed  my  theory  as  to  the  simi- 
larity of  the  dunes  and  the  sand  hills,  and 
also  suggested  that  somebody  in  Amsterdam 


CHEESES   AND    BULBSES  67 

used  water  for  drinking  purposes,  a  fact  I 
had  not  noticed  while  there. 

We  spent  part  of  a  day  in  Haarlem,  where 
the  tulips  come  from.  The  soil  conditions 
are  like  those  at  Alkmaar,  but  the  country 
is  a  mass  of  nurseries,  flower  gardens,  and 
beautiful  growing  plants.  We  are  out  of 
season  for  tulips,  but  this  is  the  time  when 
the  bulbs  are  being  collected  and  dried  to  be 
shipped  in  all  directions.  Not  only  tulips 
but  crocuses,  hyacinths,  lilies,  anemones,  etc., 
are  raised  for  the  market, — cut  flowers  to  the 
cities,  bulbs  to  all  parts  of  the  world.  Just 
now  the  gardens  are  filled  with  phlox,  dahlias, 
larkspurs,  nasturtiums, — by  the  acre.  The 
flowers  are  about  the  same  as  at  home.  Out 
of  this  thin,  scraggly,  sandy  soil  the  gardeners 
of  North  Holland  are  taking  money  for 
flowers  and  bulbs  faster  than  miners  in  gold- 
fields.  With  flowers  and  cheeses  these  Dutch 
catch  about  all  kinds  of  people. 

Haarlem  is  the  capital  of  the  province  of 
North  Holland,  and  is  full  of  quaint  houses 


68  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

of  ancient  architecture.  It  was  one  of  the 
hot  towns  for  independence  when  the  war 
with  Spain  began.  The  Spaniards  besieged 
it,  and  after  a  seven-months  gallant  de- 
fense, in  which  even  the  women  fought  as 
soldiers,  the  town  surrendered  under  prom- 
ise of  clemency.  The  Spaniards  broke  their 
promise  and  put  to  death  the  entire  garrison 
and  nearly  all  the  townspeople.  This  out- 
rage so  incensed  the  Dutch  in  other  places 
that  the  war  was  fought  more  bitterly  than 
before,  and  the  crime — for  such  it  was — really 
aided  in  the  final  expulsion  of  the  Spaniards. 

Along  in  the  seventeenth  century  was  the 
big  boom  in  Haarlem.  The  tulip  mania  de- 
veloped and  bulbs  sold  for  thousands  of  dol- 
lars. Capitalists  engaged  in  the  speculation 
and  the  trade  went  into  big  figures.  Millions 
of  dollars  were  spent  for  the  bulbs,  and  so 
long  as  the  demand  and  the  market  continued 
every  tulip-raiser  was  rich.  Finally  the  re- 
action came,  as  it  always  does  to  a  boom,  and 
everybody  went  broke.  A  bulb  which  sold 
for  $5,000  one  year  was  not  worth  50  cents 
the  next.  The  government  added  to  the  con- 


CHEESES  AND    BULBSES  69 

fusion  by  decreeing  that  all  contracts  for  fu- 
ture deliveries  were  illegal.  The  usual  phe- 
nomenon of  a  panic  followed,  everybody  los- 
ing and  nobody  gaining.  A  hundred  years 
later  there  was  about  the  same  kind  of  a 
boom  in  hyacinths,  and  the  same  result.  It 
will  be  observed  that  the  Dutch  are  not  so 
much  unlike  Americans  when  it  comes  to 
booms,  only  it  takes  longer  for  them  to  for- 
get and  calls  for  more  experience. 

Frans  Hals,  a  great  Dutch  painter,  almost 
next  to  Rembrandt,  was  born  in  Haarlem, 
and  a  number  of  his  pictures  are  in  the  city 
building.  It  was  customary  in  those  days 
for  the  mayor  and  city  council  to  have  a  group 
picture  painted  and  hung  in  the  town  hall. 
This  was  the  way  most  of  the  Dutch  artists 
got  their  start,  for  the  officials  were  always 
wealthy  citizens  who  were  willing  to  pay  more 
for  their  own  pictures  than  for  studies  of  na- 
ture or  allegory.  I  wonder  if  the  officials  paid 
their  own  money  or  did  they  voucher  it 
through  the  city  treasury  and  charge  it  to 
sprinkling  or  street  work? 


70  A    JAYHAWKER   IN    EUROPE 

Both  Alkmaar  and  Haarlem  are  interest- 
ing because  they  are  intensely  Dutch.  Their 
principal  occupations,  cheesemaking  and  flow- 
er-raising, have  been  their  principal  occu- 
pations for  centuries.  They  had  nothing  to 
start  with,  and  had  to  fight  for  that.  Now 
they  are  loaning  money  to  the  world.  If  the 
people  of  Kansas  worked  as  hard  as  do  the 
Dutch  and  were  as  economical  and  saving, 
in  one  generation  they  would  have  all  the 
money  in  the  world.  But  they  wouldn't  have 
much  fun. 

The  American  way  of  economizing  may  be 
illustrated  by  a  story.  Once  upon  a  time  in 
a  certain  town — which  I  want  to  say  was  not 
in  Kansas,  for  I  have  no  desire  to  be  sum- 
moned before  the  attorney-general  to  tell  all 
about  it — a  man  and  his  wife  were  in  the 
habit  of  sending  out  every  night  and  getting 
a  quart  of  beer  for  10  cents.  They  drank  this 
before  retiring,  and  were  reasonably  comfort- 
able. Prosperity  came  to  them,  and  the  man 
bought  a  keg  of  beer.  That  night  he  drew  off 
a  quart,  and  as  he  sat  in  his  stocking-feet  he 
philosophized  to  his  wife  and  said :  "See  how 
we  are  saving  money.  By  buying  a  keg  of 


CHEESES  AND    BULBSES  71 

beer  at  a  time  this  quart  we  are  drinking  costs 
only  6  cents.  So  we  are  saving  4  cents." 
She  looked  at  him  with  admiration,  and  re- 
plied:  "How  fine!  Let's  have  another  quart 
and  save  4  cents  more." 


Historic  Ley  den 

LEYDEN,  July  31. 

We  came  to  Ley  den  to  spend  the  night, 
and  have  stayed  three  days.  This  was  partly 
because  it  is  necessary  to  sometimes  rest  your 
neck  and  feet,  and  partly  because  the  Hotel 
Levedag  is  one  of  those  delightful  places  where 
the  beds  are  soft,  the  eats  good  and  the  help 
around  the  hotel  does  its  best  to  make  you 
comfortable.  Leyden  itself  is  worth  while, 
but  ordinarily  it  would  be  disposed  of  in  two 
walks  and  a  carriage-ride.  It  is  a  college 
town,  and  this  is  vacation ;  so  everybody  in 
the  place  has  had  the  time  to  wait  on  wander- 
ing Americans  and  make  the  process  of  ex- 
tracting their  money  as  sweet  and  as  long 
drawn  out  as  possible. 

Leyden  is  a  good  deal  like  Lawrence,  Kan- 
sas. It  is  full  of  historic  spots,  and  is  very 
quiet  in  the  summer-time.  In  Leyden  they 
refer  to  the  siege  by  the  Spaniards  in  1573 
just  as  the  Lawrence  people  speak  of  the 

(72) 


HISTORIC   LEYDEN  73 

Quantrill  raid.  The  Dutch  were  in  their  war 
for  independence,  and  the  Duke  of  Alva's 
army  besieged  Leyden.  They  began  in  Oc- 
tober, and  as  the  town  was  well  fortified  it 
resisted  bravely.  Early  in  the  year  the  neigh- 
boring town  of  Haarlem  had  surrendered  and 
the  Spaniards  had  tied  the  citizens  back  to 
back  and  chucked  them  into  the  river.  The 
Leydenites  preferred  to  die  fighting  rather 
than  surrender  and  die.  They  had  just  about 
come  to  starvation  in  March  of  the  next  year, 
when  they  decided  to  break  down  the  dikes 
and  let  the  sea  take  the  country.  The  sea 
brought  in  a  relief  fleet  sent  by  William  the 
Silent,  Prince  of  Orange,  and  the  Spaniards 
retreated  before  the  water.  Then  the  wind 
changed,  drove  back  the  waves,  and  William 
fixed  the  dikes.  This  siege  of  Leyden  was 
really  one  of  the  great  events  in  history,  and 
the  story  goes  that  out  of  gratitude  to  the 
people  of  the  town  William  offered  to  exempt 
them  from  taxes  for  a  term  of  years  or  to  es- 
tablish a  University  in  their  city.  Leyden 
took  the  University,  which  is  hard  to  believe 
of  the  Dutch,  unless  they  were  farseeing 
enough  to  know  that  the  students  would  be 


74  A   JAYHAWKER   IN    EUROPE 

a  never-ending  source  of  income  and  that  the 
taxes  would  come  back.  The  university  thus 
established  by  William  of  Orange  in  1575  has 
been  one  of  the  best  of  the  educational  in- 
stitutions in  Europe,  and  has  produced  many 
great  scholars.  It  now  has  1700  students  and 
a  strong  faculty.  Some  of  the  boys  must  be 
making  up  flunks  by  attending  summer  school, 
for  last  night  at  an  hour  when  all  good  Dutch- 
men should  be  in  bed,  the  sweet  strains  came 
through  the  odor  of  the  canal,  same  old  tune 
but  Dutch  words:  "I  don't  care  what  be- 
comes of  me,  while  I  am  singing  this  sweet 
melody,  yip  de  yaddy  aye  yea,  aye  yea,  yip- 
de  yaddy,  aye  yea." 

The  river  Rhine  filters  through  Leyden  and 
to  the  sea.  It  never  would  get  there,  for 
Leyden  is  several  feet  below  the  sea-level,  but 
by  the  use  of  big  locks  the  Dutch  raise  the 
river  to  the  proper  height  and  pour  it  in. 
These  are  the  dikes  the  Dutch  opened  to 
drive  out  the  Spaniards.  It  is  so  easy  I 
wonder  they  did  not  do  it  earlier.  At  any 
rate,  the  Spaniards  never  got  much  of  a  hold 
in  this  part  of  Holland  again.  The  sand- 


\ 


NO    PLACE    FOR    A    MAN    FROM    KANSAS 


HISTORIC    LEYDEN  75 

hills  along  the  beach  make  an  ideal  bathing- 
place.  I  took  a  canal-boat  and  in  three  hours' 
time  covered  the  six  miles  from  Leyden  to 
Katryk.  The  Dutch  ladies  and  gentlemen 
were  playing  in  the  water  and  on  the  sand, 
and  it  was  no  place  for  a  man  from  Kansas. 
I  have  no  criticism  of  these  big  bathing- 
beaches  and  we  have  some  in  our  own  fair 
land  where  the  scenery  is  just  as  startling. 
But  the  Dutch  ladies  consider  a  skirt  which 
does  not  touch  the  ground  the  same  as  im- 
modest. And  no  Dutch  gentleman  will  ap- 
pear in  public  without  his  vest  as  well  as  his 
coat.  On  the  beach  the  reaction  is  great,  so 
great  that  I  don't  blame  the  Spaniards  for 
running  away. 

It  was  in  Leyden  that  the  congregation  of 
Puritans  resided  which  sent  the  delegation 
of  Pilgrim  Fathers  across  the  Atlantic  in 
1620.  In  St.  Peter's  church  John  Robinson, 
the  pastor,  lies  buried,  and  there  he  is  said 
to  have  preached.  A  tablet  tells  of  the  house 
across  the  way  which  occupies  the  site  of  the 
little  church  in  which  Robinson  held  forth  for 
years.  The  present  house  was  not  built  un- 


76  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

til  1683,  but  that  is  close  enough  to  make  it 
interesting.  The  Puritans  had  several  con- 
gregations in  Leyden,  but  the  Robinson 
church  is  the  only  one  that  made  history. 
When  the  civil  war  broke  out  in  England  and 
Cromwell  was  leading  the  cause  of  liberty, 
all  of  the  Puritans  in  Leyden  who  had  not 
gone  to  America  and  who  could  raise  the  fare, 
returned  to  England  and  disappeared  from 
the  Dutch  records.  They  were  fine  people 
in  many  ways,  but  the  Dutch  did  not  try  to 
get  them  to  stay.  They  dearly  loved  to 
argue,  and  when  it  was  necessary  to  promote 
religious  freedom  by  punching  the  heads  of 
those  who  did  not  believe  as  they  did,  the 
Puritans  were  there  with  the  punch. 

Rembrandt,  the  great  Dutch  painter,  was 
born  in  Leyden,  in  1606.  A  stable  now  marks 
the  spot  where  he  first  saw  the  light.  It  is 
a  little  difficult  to  get  up  a  thrill  in  a  livery 
stable,  but  we  did  our  best.  Rembrandt's 
father  was  a  miller,  and  operated  one  of  these 
big  Dutch  windmills.  When  Rembrandt  was 
about  25  years  old  he  married  and  moved  to 
Amsterdam,  but  he  did  not  settle  down. 


HISTORIC   LEYDEN  77 

While  he  became  popular  and  made  a  good 
deal  of  money,  he  was  no  manager  and  he 
spent  like  a  true  sport.  When  his  wife  died 
he  went  broke,  and  lived  the  last  years  of  his 
life  in  a  modest  way.  About  550  paintings 
are  now  known  and  attributed  to  him,  to- 
gether with  about  250  etchings  and  more 
than  a  thousand  drawings.  His  portrayals 
of  expression  and  of  lights  and  shadows  are 
the  great  points  of  excellence  in  his  work,  but 
he  was  a  master  of  every  detail  of  the  art. 
His  pictures  command  more  money  than  those 
of  any  other  artist,  and  to  my  notion  he  is 
the  greatest  of  all  the  great  painters.  Most 
of  the  other  old  fellows  have  left  but  few 
masterpieces,  while  Rembrandt  never  did  any- 
thing but  great  work.  The  Dutch  worship 
God,  Rembrandt  and  William  of  Orange,  and 
I  never  can  tell  which  comes  first  with  them. 

There  is  a  hill  in  Leyden,  eighty  feet  high 
and  several  hundred  yards  around  the  base. 
It  is  well  covered  with  trees,  and  was  topped 
with  a  fort  in  the  good  old  days.  Unfortu- 
nately, the  buildings  around  it — for  it  is  in 
the  middle  of  town — keep  it  from  being  seen 


78  A   JAYHAWKER   IN    EUROPE 

at  a  distance.  People  come  from  far  and 
near  to  see  the  hill.  It  is  as  much  of  a  nov- 
elty in  this  part  of  Holland  as  a  Niagara 
would  be  in  Kansas. 

The  public  market  is  a  feature  in  every 
Dutch  town,  as  it  is  in  most  European  coun- 
tries. A  large  square  is  devoted  to  the  pur- 
pose, and  here  the  fish,  the  vegetables  and 
everything  from  livestock  to  second-hand 
books  is  offered  for  sale.  The  square  and 
the  sidewalks  are  covered  with  the  market 
displays,  the  farmers,  the  fishermen,  the  buy- 
ers, and  the  curious.  There  is  only  one  small 
newspaper  in  this  city  of  60,000  inhabitants, 
but  I  suppose  everybody  hears  the  news  at 
the  market.  It  is  better  than  a  show,  or  an 
art  gallery,  or  a  cathedral,  to  see  the  dicker- 
ing, hear  the  talk  and  watch  the  people. 
The  housewives  or  their  representatives  are 
there  with  baskets  and  comments,  and  the 
men  of  the  town  have  some  excuse  to  be 
around.  Peasant  costumes,  peculiar  head- 
dresses, large  fat  ladies,  wooden  shoes,  and 
all  the  odd  and  picturesque  things  that  you 
can  put  into  a  landscape  surrounded  by  quaint 


HISTORIC    LEYDEN  79 

buildings  and  a  canal,  are  mixed  in  confusion 
and  yet  in  order.  The  colors  which  the 
painters  put  into  their  Holland  pictures  are 
present,  and  the  sturdy,  thrifty,  trafficking 
Dutch  people  are  there  with  the  petticoats 
or  the  tobacco-smoke,  which  their  sex  calls 
for  under  such  circumstances.  Here  in  Ley- 
den,  where  a  house  less  than  a  hundred  years 
old  is  a  curiosity  and  where  Dutch  traditions 
are  held  as  sacred,  we  have  enjoyed  the  won- 
derful nature-picture  of  this  moving  market. 
And  I  might  add  that  we  have  contributed 
greatly  to  the  hilarity  of  the  occasion  by  our 
own  peculiar  appearance  and  ways — pecu- 
liar from  the  view-point  of  the  other  fellow. 


The  Dutch  Capital 

THE  HAGUE,  Aug.  2. 

This  is  the  capital  of  Holland  and  soon  will 
be,  in  a  way,  of  the  civilized  world.  The  first 
international  peace  conference  was  held  here, 
followed  by  the  establishment  of  an  inter- 
national tribunal  to  decide  disputes  between 
nations,  and  now,  thanks  to  President  Taft's 
statesmanship,  the  nations  are  agreeing  to 
arbitrate  all  differences,  and  this  Hague  tribu- 
nal will  doubtless  be  the  court  of  last  resort 
for  the  world.  The  propriety  of  the  selection 
of  The  Hague  is  not  questioned.  Holland  is 
a  small  nation,  with  practically  no  forts  or 
standing  army  or  navy.  It  is  not  a  factor  in 
international  politics,  and  its  own  independ- 
ence and  integrity  are  guaranteed  by  the 
various  treaties  between  the  nations.  Its  im- 
portance is  commercial  and  not  political,  it 
has  no  alliances,  and  occupies  a  unique  po- 
sition among  the  countries  of  Europe.  Paris 
or  London  or  Berlin  would  not  do  for  the 
location  of  an  international  tribunal,  because 

(80) 


THE   DUTCH   CAPITAL  81 

each  would  be  subject  to  local  influence  and 
force,  but  all  nations  can  come  to  The  Hague, 
the  capital  of  the  country  whose  territory 
they  have  promised  to  protect.  As  the  arbi- 
tration treaties  increase  in  number  the  practice 
of  referring  disputes  to  The  Hague  will  be- 
come almost  universal,  and  it  seems  to  me 
that  this  will  make  the  beautiful  Dutch  city 
the  capital  of  the  world.  Other  cities  will 
strive  for  commercial  supremacy,  but  The 
Hague  will  be  the  center  for  statesmanship 
and  government. 

The  Dutch  have  abbreviated  the  old  name 
S'Gravenhage  to  Den  Haag,  and  they  pro- 
nounce the  name  of  the  capital  just  as  we  do 
the  word  hog.  The  old  word  meant  "The 
Count's  Hedge"  or  wood,  because  there  was 
a  small  forest  here  belonging  to  the  Counts 
of  Holland.  The  forest  is  still  here,  a  beautiful 
piece  of  natural  woods  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
long  and  half  as  wide.  At  the  farther  end  of 
this  forest  is  "The  House  in  the  Wood," 
which  is  in  fact  a  beautiful  little  palace  built 
in  1645  by  Princess  Amalia,  the  widow  of 
Prince  Frederick  Henry  of  Orange.  Amalia 


82  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

had  a  new  idea  in  memorials,  for  the  principal 
room  of  the  palace,  the  orange  room,  is  deco- 
rated by  pictures  from  the  brushes  of  pupils  of 
Rubens,  and  while  they  portray  scenes  in  the 
life  of  the  Prince  they  are  full  of  fat  cherubs, 
scantily  dressed  ladies  and  very  racy  sug- 
gestion. I  am  told  Amalia  was  that  way,  but 
I  have  no  personal  knowledge.  All  this  hap- 
pened nearly  300  years  ago,  and  in  any  event 
she  had  a  most  charming  palace.  Several 
rooms  are  filled  with  gifts  from  the  Emperors 
of  China  and  Japan  to  Wilhelmina,  and  they 
add  to  the  general  hilarity  of  the  memorial. 

Although  The  Hague  was  the  center  of  the 
Dutch  government  practically  all  the  time 
from  1584,  when  the  representatives  of  the 
Dutch  provinces  met  here  to  form  a  League 
against  Spain,  it  had  no  representation  in  the 
government  until  the  last  century.  The  orig- 
inal cities  in  the  federation  refused  to  admit 
The  Hague,  and  it  was  a  sort  of  District  of 
Columbia  until  Napoleon  took  possession  of 
Holland  on  the  theory  that  it  was  formed  from 
the  deposits  of  dirt  made  by  French  rivers. 
Napoleon  gave  The  Hague  a  local  government, 


THE   DUTCH    CAPITAL  83 

which  it  has  since  retained.  It  has  grown 
much  in  late  years,  and  is  a  beautiful  city  with 
good  architecture,  many  wide  streets,  fine 
public  buildings,  handsome  private  homes, 
pretty  canals,  and  shaded  avenues.  It  is  a 
custom  in  Holland  and  the  Dutch  colonies 
for  men  of  wealth  to  come  to  The  Hague,  put 
up  fine  houses  and  spend  some  of  their  money, 
just  as  the  "town  farmers"  do  in  Hutchinson. 

We  went  to  see  the  Gevangenpoort,  an 
ancient  tower  in  which  prisoners  were  con- 
fined, tortured  and  executed.  They  still  keep 
some  of  the  interesting  machines  with  which 
justice  was  dealt  out  in  the  good  old  days.  A 
prisoner  whom  the  authorities  desired  to  con- 
vict would  be  allowed  to  prove  his  innocence 
by  the  ordeal  of  fire.  He  was  permitted  to 
walk  with  bare  feet  on  a  red  hot  gridiron.  If 
he  was  innocent  the  heat  would  not  affect  his 
naked  soles,  if  guilty  it  would.  But  that  is 
nothing.  Our  own  dear  old  Pilgrim  fathers 
used  to  take  a  woman  charged  with  witchcraft 
and  toss  her  into  a  pond.  If  she  were  a  witch, 
the  evil  spirit  would  keep  her  from  drowning 
and  the  Puritans  would  put  her  to  death.  If 


84  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

she  drowned,  her  innocence  of  the  charge  was 
proven — and  they  buried  her  in  the  church- 
yard. 

The  Dutch  got  their  early  ideas  of  prison 
reform  from  the  Spaniards.  There  is  a  ma- 
chine in  the  Gevangenpoort  which  dropped 
water  onto  a  man's  head  for  hours.  If  he  lived 
he  was  crazy.  Then  they  had  a  1611  model 
of  a  rack  which  would  break  the  bones  in  the 
arms  and  legs  and  not  kill  the  prisoner,  and 
he  could  be  tortured  later.  Pincers  to  pull 
out  finger-nails,  branding-irons,  and  stocks 
that  kept  a  man  or  a  woman  standing  on  the 
toes  for  hours,  were  light  punishments  for 
petty  thievery.  A  very  popular  form  'of  pun- 
ishment was  to  hang  the  prisoner  by  his  feet, 
head  down,  and  let  the  populace  come  in  and 
enjoy  the  sight.  Of  course  these  old  instru- 
ments are  mere  relics  now,  but  just  remember 
they  were  the  real  thing  only  300  years  ago, 
and  300  years  is  not  long  in  the  history  of  the 
world.  We  never  think  that  it  was  just  as 
long  between  1311  and  1611  as  it  has  been 
from  1611  to  now.  We  confusedly  jumble  all 
the  events  of  about  500  years  into  "Middle 
Ages,"  and  can't  remember  which  was  in 


THE   DUTCH    CAPITAL  85 

which  century.  The  last  300  years  seem  long 
and  full  of  events,  while  the  three  centuries 
before  are  remembered  as  all  of  one  time.  I 
wonder  if  the  people  on  earth  in  22 11  will  look 
over  some  Gevangenpoort  of  ours  and  shudder 
at  the  savagery  of  1911? 

Incidentally  I  want  to  report  that  the  people 
of  Europe  are  looking  on  President  Taft  as 
the  great  man  of  the  age — I  mean  the  great 
common  people  are.  His  successful  advocacy 
of  international  arbitration  is  hailed  as  the 
coming  of  an  era  of  peace.  You  don't  know 
what  that  means  to  Europe,  where  nearly 
every  man  has  to  give  years  of  his  life  to  army 
service,  where  heavy  taxes  for  forts  and  ships 
bear  down  on  the  people,  and  where  there  is 
always  a  possibility  of  war  with  a  neighboring 
nation,  which  would  mean  great  loss  of  life. 
Nearly  all  of  this  war  sacrifice  falls  upon  the 
people,  and  while  they  patriotically  sustain 
their  governments  they  hail  Taft's  policy  of 
peace  as  the  greatest  help  that  has  come  to 
them  in  countless  years,  the  advance  step  that 
will  relieve  the  burden  that  bends  the  back 
of  what  Mr.  Bryan  calls  "the  plain  common 


86  A    JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

people."  No  wonder  these  people  are  for 
Taft — but  of  course  they  can't  vote  for  him 
in  1912. 

The  government  of  Holland  is  a  sort  of 
aristocratic  republic  with  a  monarch  for  orna- 
ment. There  is  a  lower  house  of  congress 
elected  by  popular  vote,  with  some  restrictions 
as  to  property  on  the  right  of  suffrage.  There 
is  an  upper  house  selected  with  still  more  re- 
strictions. The  upper  house  only  can  intro- 
duce bills.  The  lower  house  only  can  enact 
them  into  laws.  The  queen  signs  when  the 
Dutch  congress,  or  states-general,  tells  her  to 
sign.  She  gets  a  salary  of  about  $400,000  a 
year  and  is  rich  in  her  own  right.  The  busi- 
ness men  complain  that  she  is  stingy  and  the 
women  say  she  is  slouchy.  Taxes  are  high, 
and  in  all  the  forms  imaginable.  They  tax 
theatre  tickets,  bank  checks,  receipts,  all  docu- 
ments, incomes  and  lands,  and  in  some  places 
the  number  of  windows  in  a  house.  Taxes 
are  "high"  everywhere  I  go.  I  thought  per- 
haps when  I  got  where  I  could  not  understand 
the  language  I  would  no  longer  be  bored  by 
the  man  who  complains  about  taxes.  But  I 


THE   DUTCH    CAPITAL  87 

haven't  yet  found  that  place.  I  suppose 
when  I  quit  traveling  on  this  earthly  sphere 
the  first  thing  I  will  hear  will  be  a  kick  on  the 
cost  of  paving  the  golden  streets,  or  a  com- 
plaint that  the  tax  on  sulphur  is  going  to  kill 
the  prosperity  of  the  country. 


'The  Dutch  Company." 

ARNHEM,  August  5. 

This  is  the  "last  chance"  station  in  Holland. 
About  ten  miles  more  and  we  cross  the  line 
into  Germany.  This  is  also  the  only  hilly 
part  of  Holland,  and  it  really  is  a  surprise  to 
find  that  somewhere  in  this  little  country  there 
are  neither  canals  nor  dikes.  The  river  Rhine 
flows  here  with  some  current,  and  the  official 
documents  say  that  at  Arnhem  it  is  35  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea.  Right  sharp  little 
hills,  as  big  as  those  about  Strong  City,  rise 
from  the  river  bank,  and  are  covered  with 
woods  and  handsome  homes.  Queen  Wil- 
helmina  has  her  summer  residence  near  here, 
and  Dutch  colonials,  who  have  made  their 
fortunes  and  returned  to  the  native  land,  are 
fond  of  this  small  and  elevated  piece  of  Nether- 
land.  The  Dutch  make  a  great  deal  of  money 
out  of  their  East  India  colonies,  one  of  which 
is  Java.  They  are  not  so  much  interested  in 
preparing  the  Javanese  or  the  Mochans  for 
the  work  of  self-government  as  our  folks  are 

(88) 


"THE  DUTCH  COMPANY"  89 

the  Filipinos.  The  Dutch  theory  is  to  treat 
the  natives  kindly  but  make  them  work  as 
the  dogs  do  in  Holland.  And  the  Javanese  or 
the  Javans,  or  whatever  you  call  them,  are 
too  busy  to  get  dissatisfied  and  plan  revolu- 
tions. This  question  of  what  to  do  with  the 
white  man's  burden  is  a  hard  one  to  settle 
offhand.  The  brown  people  do  not  understand 
the  American  motives,  and  the  Americans  are 
probably  the  most  detested  people  in  the 
Orient.  And  yet  the  Americans  are  the  only 
conquering  nation  which  does  not  regard  col- 
onies as  personal  property  and  which  tries  to 
elevate  the  citizenship  it  finds.  The  English 
hold  India  by  fear,  but  some  day  the  English 
are  going  to  be  chased  out  of  that  part  of  Asia 
by  the  Indians  they  try  to  keep  down.  The 
other  European  nations  make  no  bones  of  the 
fact  that  they  own  and  operate  their  foreign 
possessions  for  what  they  can  get  out  of  them. 

A  Hollander  makes  a  very  strong  American 
when  he  is  caught  young.  On  shipboard  I 
made  the  acquaintance  of  a  young  man  about 
25  years  old  who  had  been  in  America  nine 
years,  and  was  now  going  to  his  birthplace, 


90  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

The  Hague,  on  business  for  the  Chicago  firm 
with  which  he  is  connected.  I  met  him  in  The 
Hague  this  week.  He  wore  a  western  cowboy 
hat,  had  a  small  American  flag  in  his  button- 
hole, and  wore  no  vest.  The  stories  he  was 
telling  about  the  United  States  to  his  Dutch 
friends  showed  that  he  would  have  made  a 
success  as  a  real-estate  man  if  he  had  settled 
in  western  Kansas.  And  the  manner  in  which 
he  did  not  take  off  his  hat  when  he  met  a 
doctor  or  a  lawyer  or  a  duke  or  a  notary  public 
was  shocking  to  his  family,  but  was  sweet 
American  patriotism  to  him.  He  was  still 
loyal  to  Holland,  but  he  would  not  trade  his 
new  home  with  its  opportunities  for  all  the 
comforts  of  canals  and  clean  streets.  :<You 
see,"  he  said,  "in  Holland  every  man  has  to 
take  off  his  hat  to  those  above  him — and  there 
are  always  those  above  him."  Of  course  we 
have  classes,  in  a  way,  in  our  country,  but  a 
man  never  has  to  take  off  his  hat  or  pay 
homage  to  another  man,  and  the  real  Amer- 
ican, home-grown  or  imported,  can't  get  that 
feeling  of  equality  out  of  his  system.  I  think 
the  Europeans  must  grow  very  tired  of  us 
Americans,  our  blustering  ways  and  bragging 


"THE  DUTCH  COMPANY"  91 

talk,  but  they  are  kind  enough  not  to  mention 
it  so  long  as  our  money  holds  out. 

Passenger  fares  on  trains  are  cheaper  in 
Holland  than  with  us.  But  of  course  their 
railroad  business  is  really  like  an  interurban 
street-car  system.  Freight  rates  are  higher 
than  with  us.  The  wages  paid  railway  em- 
ployes run  from  60  cents  a  day  to  section 
hands  up  to  $2  a  day  for  an  engineer — just 
about  one-third  to  one-half  our  schedule.  The 
service  is  good,  the  stations  and  tracks  are 
better,  every  little  country  road-crossing  is 
protected  by  a  flagman  or  a  flagwoman.  Of 
course  the  canals  and  rivers  do  so  much  of  the 
carrying  business,  and  distances  are  so  small, 
that  comparisons  are  hard  to  make.  There  is 
no  such  thing  in  Holland  as  a  sandwich  or  a 
piece  of  pie,  and  yet  there  are  very  successful 
and  excellent  lunch-rooms  in  every  station. 
The  first-  and  second-class  passengers  usually 
have  a  lunch-room  with  upholstered  furniture, 
while  the  third-class  travelers  are  compelled 
to  use  wooden  benches  or  stand  up,  a  la  Amer- 
icaner.  The  first-class  railroad  cars  are  fitted 
out  with  plush,  and  there  are  sometimes  toilet 


92  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

accommodations  on  the  cars.  The  second- 
class  cars  are  comfortably  upholstered;  the 
third-class  have  plain  seats  like  our  street 
cars.  But  remember  you  can  go  clear  across 
Holland  in  a  couple  of  hours,  and  do  not  need 
some  of  the  comforts  which  are  considered 
necessities  in  America. 

The  Dutch  are  great  on  fixing  things  com- 
fortably and  neatly.  If  the  beautiful  Cow 
Creek  which  winds  its  way  through  Hutchin- 
son  were  transferred  to  a  Dutch  town  it  would 
be  diked,  the  banks  graded  and  covered  with 
grass  and  flowers  and  trees.  The  govern- 
ment would  do  this,  and  would  put  seats  along 
the  little  park,  and  a  band-stand  from  which 
music  would  be  heard,  and  swings  for  the 
children,  and  almost  every  block  there  would 
be  a  "garden"  with  tables  and  all  the  beer  you 
could  drink — if  you  were  Dutch — for  two 
cents.  And  the  Government  would  make  a 
nice  profit  out  of  the  restaurant  business  and 
go  ahead  and  dike  another  stream. 

The  Dutchman  is  a  great  business  man. 
He  works  and  saves  and  then  he  is  not  afraid 


"THE  DUTCH  COMPANY"  93 

to  spend — if  he  has  a  sure  thing.  I  have  seen 
a  business  man  smoking  a  cigarette,  take  out 
of  his  vest  pocket  a  pair  of  scissors,  snip  off 
the  burning  end  and  put  the  unconsumed  half 
of  a  cigarette  back  in  his  case.  No  Dutchman 
is  afraid  to  demand  cheap  prices  while  trav- 
eling at  home.  The  average  American  who 
goes  through  Europe  with  the  theory  of  spend- 
ing his  money  like  a  sport  must  fill  the  Dutch- 
man with  disgust.  You  don't  impress  the 
Hollanders  that  way.  On  the  other  hand, 
these  Dutchmen  will  investigate  and  spend 
barrels  of  money  on  dikes,  drains,  railroads, 
buildings  and  large  investments  in  all  parts  of 
the  world.  I  suppose  the  almost  penurious 
saving  comes  from  the  fight  with  the  sea,  in 
which  everything  had  to  be  watched  and 
worked  for,  while  the  ability  to  handle  big 
affairs  results  from  the  consciousness  of  having 
wrested  a  lot  of  land  from  the  ocean  and  hav- 
ing made  good  with  it. 

The  Dutch  are  proverbially  honest.  Of 
course  I  have  been  over-charged  some,  but  I 
have  never  been  anywhere  on  either  side  of 
the  Atlantic  where  the  rule  was  not  observed, 


94  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

"he  was  a  stranger  and  I  took  him  in."  They 
hold  a  visitor  up  much  more  in  Kansas  City 
than  in  Amsterdam,  and  a  man  from  Kansas 
who  goes  to  New  York  is  not  even  given  the 
protection  of  the  game  laws.  In  fact,  a 
stranger  who  does  not  know  the  language  is 
treated  much  better  in  Europe  than  in  Amer- 
ica. I  have  often  had  a  man  walk  half  a  block 
to  show  me  the  way  when  I  could  not  under- 
stand his  words.  I  say  "walk  a  block,"  but 
there  is  no  such  phrase  in  Dutch.  There  are 
no  regular  sized  blocks,  so  a  direction  is  given 
as  "five  minutes"  or  "two  m'nutes,  then  to 
the  right  three  minutes."  That  is  supposed 
to  mean  an  average  walk;  but  as  legs  differ 
in  size  and  rapidity  it  is  often  confusing.  I 
am  told  in  the  rural  districts  a  distance  is  given 
as  so  many  smokes,  meaning  the  number  of 
pipefuls  of  tobacco  that  a  Dutchman  would 
consume  in  going  that  far.  But  I  have  dis- 
covered that  in  Holland  a  pipe  is  a  rarity.  The 
men  smoke  cigars  and  smoke  them  incessantly. 
They  are  cheap.  I  get  a  good  cigar,  equiva- 
lent to  a  Tom  Moore,  for  two  cents  American 
money.  When  I  buy  cigars  I  want  to  stay 
in  Holland.  But  practically  everything  ex- 


"THE  DUTCH  COMPANY"  95 

cept  cigars,  beer  and  wooden  shoes  costs  as 
much  here  as  in  the  United  States.  Yes,  there 
is  one  thing  that  costs  less,  and  that  is  labor. 
Therefore  hand-carved  wood,  hand-crocheted 
lace,  hand-made  shoes,  tailored  clothes,  and 
houses  are  less  expensive  than  with  us.  The 
more  I  see  of  a  country  where  everything 
labor  produces  is  cheap,  the  more  I  am  in 
favor  of  high  prices  and  good  wages.  Holland 
is  probably  the  best  country  in  Europe  for  a 
laboring  man,  but  I  don't  see  how  one  can  get 
ahead,  unless  he  does  without  meat  and  wears 
the  same  suit  for  years,  and  his  family  econo- 
mize the  same  way.  Here  in  the  land  of  cheese 
and  butter,  both  articles  are  out  of  reach  and 
the  workingman  uses  "margarine." 

But  now  it  is  goodby  to  the  land  of  the  dikes, 
the  canals,  the  windmills  and  the  wooden 
shoes.  They  are  all  here  as  advertised,  and 
they  color  the  lives  of  the  people  as  they  do  the 
landscape  of  the  country.  To  the  eye  they 
are  artistic  and  beautiful,  but  in  practice  they 
are  common,  plain  necessities,  and  in  these 
signs  the  Dutch  have  conquered. 


The  Great  River 

KOENIGSWINTER,    GERMANY,    August   7. 

The  river  Rhine  is  in  many  respects  the 
greatest  river  in  the  world.  It  is  greatest  in 
commercial  importance,  historical  interest  and 
artistic  development.  It  has  been  the  line  of 
battle  in  Europe  for  centuries,  since  Caesar 
first  crossed  the  stream  and  met  the  original 
Germans.  After  that  time  it  was  the  frontier 
of  the  Roman  empire  until  Rome  fell,  and 
then  it  became  the  object  for  which  Europe 
fought.  The  Germans  and  the  French  met 
on  the  Rhine,  the  other  "civilized  countries" 
got  in  the  game,  and  the  valley  was  filled  with 
feudal  counts  and  princes  who  sometimes  took 
one  side  and  sometimes  the  other,  whichever 
seemed  to  offer  them  the  best  pickings.  The 
broad  and  deep  stream  was  a  highway  of 
commerce,  and  the  old  champions  of  chivalry, 
with  whom  robbery  and  murder  were  the 
principal  business,  built  castles  on  the  hills, 
and  whenever  they  saw  a  merchant  with  a  rich 
caravan  of  goods,  down  they  would  swoop  on 

(96) 


THE   GREAT   RIVER  97 

him,  grab  his  valuables  and  kill  the  defenders. 
These  adventures  and  wars  were  what  the 
world  called  history,  and  during  the  Middle 
Ages  the  place  where  hell  was  continually 
breaking  out  was  along  this  beautiful  valley. 
The  use  of  gunpowder  finally  put  an  end  to 
knights  in  armor,  and  the  Germans  and  the 
French  struggled  for  the  Rhine.  Napoleon 
conquered  the  valley,  organized  it  into  a  re- 
public, and  finally  annexed  it  to  France.  The 
Allies  conquered  Napoleon  and  restored  the 
Prussian  king  and  the  petty  princes  to  their 
possessions.  The  war  of  1870  between  Ger- 
many and  France  pushed  the  boundary  a  con- 
siderable distance  west,  and  made  the  Rhine 
valley  all  German,  under  the  newly  organized 
empire. 

Most  rivers  begin  in  a  small  way,  from 
springs,  creeks  and  little  streams.  The  Rhine 
is  the  outlet  of  Lake  Constance,  and  rushes  out 
of  that  inland  sea  a  great  river  ready-made, 
and  begins  with  a  magnificent  waterfall 
second  only  to  Niagara.  It  is  a  wide,  deep 
river,  and  as  soon  as  it  emerges  from  the  Swiss 
mountains  becomes  the  great  highway  through 


98  A   JAYHAWKER   IN  EUROPE 

Germany  and  Holland  to  the  ocean.  Along  its 
banks  are  timber,  coal  and  iron,  great  cities 
with  factories,  and  fertile  lands  tilled  to  the 
utmost  point.  The  freight  rate  is  the  lowest 
possible,  and  the  productive  value  of  the 
country  is  increased  by  the  ease  and  cheap- 
ness with  which  the  markets  of  the  world  are 
reached.  Steamboats  and  barges  go  up  and 
down  in  much  greater  numbers  than  do  the 
freight  trains  of  America's  greatest  railroad. 
For  much  of  its  length  the  banks  are  walled, 
and  the  cities,  towns  and  villages  are  almost 
continuous.  In  width  the  river  is  from  500 
to  1500  feet,  and  it  is  about  550  miles  long. 
The  last  360  miles,  from  Manheim  to  the 
German  ocean,  has  a  channel  of  not  less  than 
thirty  feet  in  depth,  and  in  that  360  miles 
the  fall  is  only  280  feet,  the  last  hundred  miles 
only  33  feet. 

So  much  for  the  Rhine  from  a  business 
viewpoint.  This  little  town  of  Koenigswinter 
is  on  "the  picturesque  Rhine,"  at  the  foot  of 
the  Drachenfels,  the  last  of  the  big  hills  or 
mountains  by  which  the  Rhine  flows  in  its 
course  from  Manheim  to  Cologne.  We  stopped 


THE   GREAT   RIVER  99 

at  the  little  city  of  Bonn,  seat  of  a  good  uni- 
versity, and  an  old  town.  Beethoven  was  born 
in  Bonn,  and  we  visited  the  little  house  he 
selected  for  that  event  in  his  life.  It  was  most 
interesting  to  see  the  things  used  by  the  great 
composer,  among  them  the  original  drafts  of 
many  of  his  great  works.  Beethoven's  folks 
were  poor,  and  when  only  a  boy  he  played  the 
pipe  organ  at  the  church  and  was  in  the  Bonn 
string  band.  When  22  years  of  age  he  went  to 
Vienna,  where  he  was  taken  care  of  financially 
by  the  Austrian  emperor.  He  never  married. 
He  and  a  countess  fell  in  love  with  each  other, 
but  her  folks  did  not  approve  of  her  marrying 
a  musician.  Beethoven's  father  sang  tenor 
and  his  grandfather  had  led  the  Bonn  brass 
band,  and  Beethoven  himself  was  giving 
lessons.  So  they  could  not  marry,  though  I 
don't  see  why  the  countess  did  not  arrange 
it  later  when  Beethoven  became  famous.  But 
he  was  very  deaf  and  probably  very  cranky, 
for  he  was  a  great  musician,  and  perhaps  the 
Lady  Amelia  backed  out  herself. 

This  is  what  is  called  the  picturesque  Rhine, 
for  here  the  river  runs  through  some  German 


100  A    JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

mountains,  which  rise  almost  abruptly  from 
the  banks.  The  mountain-sides  are  cultivated 
as  we  do  first-bottom  land.  The  principal  prod- 
uct is  the  grape,  which  gets  just  the  proper 
sunlight  on  these  mountain-sides  to  make  its 
juice  command  more  money  than  the  wine 
from  the  back  country.  There  are  also  many 
truck  farms,  small  pastures,  patches  of  al- 
falfa and  wheat,  all  tilted  up  from  the  river 
at  an  angle  of  45  to  90  degrees.  The  roads  are 
good  and  white,  the  fields  just  now  are  green, 
the  sky  is  a  blue  like  the  sky  in  Italy  and 
Kansas.  The  little  towns  with  their  white- 
washed houses  and  red-tiled  roofs  cluster 
every  mile  or  so  along  the  river,  and  the  view 
from  the  mountains  or  from  the  river  is  one 
that  makes  the  tickle  come  around  the  heart. 
In  this  beautiful  spot  where  nature  and  man 
have  both  been  busy  for  so  many  hundred 
years  we  are  spending  a  few  days  for  rest. 

Of  course  I  climbed  the  Drachenfels,  the 
mountain  which  looms  up  like  a  sentinel  and 
has  on  its  top  a  ruined  castle  with  a  view  and 
a  legend.  Byron  told  of  the  great  view,  and 
every  tourist  who  stops  has  to  climb  the 


THE    POET    BYRON    BUILDING    CASTLES 


THE   GREAT   RIVER  101 

mountain.  So  we  climbed.  Mr.  Byron  was 
right  this  time,  for  the  view  is  grand.  Ordi- 
narily I  take  little  stock  in  Byron's  fits  over 
scenery.  He  traveled  through  Europe  and  had 
thrills  over  some  very  ordinary  things.  Byron 
could  take  a  few  drinks  and  then  reel  off  some 
verses  which  gave  an  old  ruin  or  a  tumble- 
down castle  a  reputation  which  it  will  use 
forever  as  a  bait  for  tourists.  But  this  time 
Byron  was  right,  for  the  panorama  of  the 
Rhine  valley,  made  up  of  the  river,  the  hills, 
the  sky,  the  shades  of  growing  green,  the  white- 
and-red  towns,  and  the  boats  as  noiseless  as 
birds,  is  one  worth  more  than  the  twenty-five 
American  cents  it  takes  to  make  the  climb  on  a 
cog-wheel  railroad. 

The  ruined  castle,  which  stands  about  1,000 
feet  above  the  Rhine  and  yet  so  near  it  seems 
that  one  could  throw  a  stone  from  the  parapet 
into  the  river,  was  occupied  by  a  line  of  the 
fiercest  gentlemen  that  ever  robbed  an  inno- 
cent traveler.  For  several  hundred  years  no 
one  was  safe  to  go  this  way  unless  he  paid 
the  robber  barons,  who  had  a  sort  of  con- 
federacy or  union,  in  which  the  Count  of 


102  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

Drachenfels  was  one  of  the  main  guys.  The 
name  means  the  dragon's  rock,  and  comes 
from  the  fact  that  a  Dragon  once  resided  in  a 
cave  near  the  top.  The  legend  says  that  it 
was  customary  among  the  old  heathen  to  feed 
prisoners  to  the  Dragon,  so  he  would  look 
pleasant  and  not  roar  at  night.  Returning 
from  a  trip  into  the  west  they  brought  a 
number  of  captives,  among  them  a  beautiful 
Christian  maiden.  The  heathen  young  men 
all  wanted  the  girl,  so  the  wise  chief  decided 
that  she  should  be  given  to  the  Dragon,  thus 
preventing  a  scrap  among  the  brethren  and 
paying  special  tribute  to  the  Drag.  They 
formed  a  procession  and  marched  to  the  big 
rock  where  they  were  accustomed  to  lay  out 
provisions  for  his  nibs.  The  beautiful  girl  was 
bound  hand  and  foot,  covered  with  flowers,  and 
then  the  crowd  got  back  to  see  the  Dragon  do 
the  rest.  The  Dragon  came  out  roaring  like  a 
stuck  pig,  but  when  the  girl  held  out  a  crucifix 
toward  him  he  bolted,  ran  and  jumped  from 
the  rock  into  the  river.  The  best-looking 
young  man  among  the  heathen  then  rushed 
forward  and  released  the  lady,  married  her, 
and  they  lived  happily  ever  afterward, — so 


THE   GREAT   RIVER  103 

the  legend  says.  And  there  is  no  reason  to 
doubt  the  legend,  for  there  is  the  rock,  there 
is  the  river  into  which  the  Dragon  leaped,  and 
he  never  did  come  back. 


Along  the  Rhine 

KOENIGSWINTER,    August   8. 

Next  to  riding  on  a  Dutch  canal  comes  a 
trip  on  the  Rhine.  The  passenger  steamers  and 
motor-boats  go  up  and  down  this  part  of  the 
Rhine  like  street  cars.  Every  boat  is  comfort- 
ably equipped  with  refreshment  parlors  and 
restaurants,  and  the  waiters  keep  trying  to 
please  the  thirsty  traveler  by  offering  him  wine 
and  beer.  It  is  hard  on  a  Kansan.  What 
these  Germans  need  is  a  governor  and  an  at- 
torney-general and  a  row  over  the  joint 
question.  Poor  Germans!  they  do  not  know 
it,  and  they  keep  right  on  drinking  beer  and 
growing  fat  and  looking  happy.  Aside  from 
this  unfortunate  habit,  which  does  not  seem 
to  hurt  them  as  it  ought  to,  the  Germans  are 
a  fine  lot  of  folks.  They  are  immensely  proud 
of  their  country,  which  is  a  trifle  hard  on  us 
modest  Americans.  They  really  believe  Ger- 
many can  lick  the  world,  and  they  have  a 
notion  that  there  is  no  nation  so  progressive 
as  theirs.  In  some  respects  they  are  right, 

(104) 


ALONG   THE   RHINE  105 

and  in  many  phases  of  business  and  scientific 
advancement  the  Germans  lead  the  world. 

I  am  inclined  to  attribute  this  to  their 
public-school  system,  which  is  superior  to  ours 
in  some  respects.  Without  going  into  an  ex- 
tended argument  on  the  subject,  I  will  ex- 
plain my  reason  for  this  opinion.  The  German 
system  of  education  is  very  rigid  for  the  boys 
and  girls.  The  discipline  in  the  common 
schools  is  military.  The  children  go  to  school 
more  months  in  the  year  and  they  are  com- 
pelled to  learn.  There  is  no  foolishness,  no 
excuses  from  fond  parents,  no  late  parties,  no 
indifference,  no  any -thing -to -get -through. 
The  German  teachers  are  not  content  with 
getting  the  children  to  pass,  but  they  insist 
they  shall  know  their  studies.  This  severe 
training  is  kept  up  until  the  boy  or  girl  goes 
to  the  university,  and  then  discipline  is  re- 
laxed and  he  or  she  can  do  about  as  they 
please  so  far  as  personal  conduct  is  concerned. 
In  America  the  parents  and  the  government 
let  the  little  folks  do  as  they  please  outside  of 
short  school  hours,  and  then  tighten  up  the 
discipline  in  high  school  and  university.  Our 
scheme  doesn't  work  well.  Our  grade  schools 


106  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

turn  out  indifferent  scholars  and  boys  and 
girls  who  have  not  been  trained  to  study. 
Our  course  of  study  is  fixed  to  make  it  easy, 
when  every  one  knows  that  hard  work  is 
needed  to  develop  character.  If  the  Germans 
go  ahead  of  the  Americans  in  the  next  genera- 
tion it  will  be  because  their  school  system  is 
better  than  ours,  because  it  trains  the  children 
better  for  the  work  to  come.  The  Germans 
think  just  as  much  of  their  children  as  do  the 
Americans  of  theirs,  but  they  do  not  spoil 
them, — which  is  a  great  American  fault  and 
which  counts  against  the  children  ever  after- 
ward. 

We  rode  on  the  boat  to  Godesberg,  and 
Rolandseck  and  Heisterbach,  and  Johannis- 
berg,  and  Niersteiner,  and  all  the  other  places 
which  are  recorded  on  the  wine-card  at  a 
Kansas  City  hotel.  The  very  names  are 
enough  to  make  a  Kansas  man  file  an  informa- 
tion with  the  county  attorney.  Each  town  has 
its  brand  of  wine,  its  old  castles,  its  flourishing 
business,  its  comfortable  hotels,  and  its  legends 
of  olden  times.  Most  of  the  legends  tell  of  the 


ALONG   THE   RHINE  107 

triumph  of  True  Love,  but  here  is  an  excep- 
tion: 

An  old  knight  whose  castle  at  Schoenberg 
was  an  important  place  in  the  feudal  system 
of  tax  collection,  had  seven  beautiful  daugh- 
ters. He  died ;  these  seven  girls  ruled  in  the 
castle,  and  all  they  cared  for  was  a  good  time. 
They  went  hunting,  gave  late  supper  parties, 
and  were  much  talked  about ;  but  their  beauty 
and  the  castle  of  their  inheritance  kept  them 
popular  with  the  men.  Many  knights  asked 
them  to  marry,  but  each  and  every  suitor  was 
given  the  merry  ha-ha  by  the  maiden  he 
sought.  Knights  even  fought  and  killed  each 
other,  disputing  as  to  the  merits  of  the  sisters, 
and  the  ladies  made  such  funerals  the  scenes 
of  great  enjoyment.  Finally  the  knights  had 
a  mass  meeting,  and  resolved  that  the  seven 
sisters  be  required  to  select  husbands.  When 
this  news  was  conveyed  to  the  sisters  they 
said  this  was  just  what  they  wanted.  They 
proposed  that  they  would  give  a  picnic,  to 
which  all  the  would-be  husbands  should  be  in- 
vited, and  after  lunch  they  would  announce 


108  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

the  knights  of  their  choice.  The  picnic  day 
came,  and  it  rained  in  the  morning  as  it  always 
does  on  picnic  days.  The  knights  came  with 
their  swords  and  their  lunch-baskets  and  stood 
around  throwing  balls  for  the  cigars  and  shak- 
ing for  the  lemonade,  until  the  skies  cleared 
and  it  was  announced  that  the  seven  sisters 
would  be  in  at  once  or  as  soon  as  they  had 
finished  dressing.  Then  came  another  hour's 
wait.  Suddenly  a  boat  appeared  around  the 
bend,  and  in  it  were  the  Seven,  all  decked  out 
with  big  hats  and  rhinestone  buckles.  The 
eldest  sister  stood  up  in  the  boat,  screaming 
as  it  rocked,  and  said:  "We  don't  care  to 
marry  any  of  you  country  jakes.  We  are  go- 
ing to  Cologne  to  visit  a  cousin,  and  there  we 
propose  to  have  a  good  time  without  being 
obliged  to  throw  down  some  knight  who  wants 
a  bride  and  a  meal  ticket  every  so  often." 
The  other  sisters  joined  in  singing  the  old-time 
version  of  "Goodby,  my  lover,  goodby,"  and 
the  boat  sailed  for  Cologne.  The  knights 
cussed,  and  laid  the  blame  onto  each  other ; 
but  suddenly  a  storm  arose,  and  the  boat 
began  to  bob  around  in  the  waves.  The  seven 
sisters  screamed,  but  it  did  them  no  good. 


ALONG   THE   RHINE  109 

The  boat  upset,  and  all  on  board  were 
drowned. 

This  legend  teaches  flirtatious  young  ladies 
not  to  trifle  with  the  home  boys. 

On  the  spot  where  the  boat  went  under, 
seven  pointed  rocks  appear  above  the  surface 
of  the  water  even  up  to  today.  I  saw  them, 
and  I  guess  that  proves  the  legend. 

I  have  always  believed  that  Kansas  people 
make  a  mistake  in  neglecting  the  legend  crop. 
For  example,  a  good  legend  about  Elmdale 
Park  in  Hutchinson  would  cause  thousands  of 
people  to  visit  it  and  pay  10  cents  apiece,  be- 
sides buying  post-cards  and  printed  copies 
of  the  beautiful  story,  which  might  go  some- 
thing like  this : 

Once  upon  a  time  there  lived  in  the  First 
Ward  a  man  and  his  wife  who  had  an  only 
daughter.  They  were  the  only  father  and 
mother  she  had,  so  honors  were  about  even 
on  that  point.  They  loved  this  Daughter  so 
much  that  when  she  grew  up  she  was  not 
taught  to  sew  or  to  cook,  but  to  play  the  piano 
and  to  sing  "Love  Me  and  the  World  is  Mine." 
She  was  very  beautiful  as  she  sat  on  the  front 


110  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

porch  reading  the  latest  novel,  "The  Soul  of 
My  Soul,"  while  her  mother  fried  the  beef- 
steak for  supper.  Suitors  came  from  far  and 
near,  one  of  them  a  brakeman  on  the  Missouri 
Pacific,  and  another  an  assistant  chief  clerk 
in  a  hash  foundry.  But  her  choice  fell  upon  a 
handsome  young  knight  she  met  at  Elmdale 
Park,  who  wore  an  open-faced  vest  and  a 
Brazilian  diamond  on  his  shirt  front,  but  who 
had  quit  school  in  order  to  go  to  work  and  then 
forgot  about  it.  He  saw  the  clean  home  and 
he  smelled  the  fried  steak  and  thought  the 
young  lady  did  it  all,  when  in  fact  the  young 
lady  could  not  boil  an  egg.  They  were  married, 
and  he  at  once  came  to  live  with  his  wife's 
folks.  The  old  Father  developed  an  unex- 
pected trait,  and  insisted  that  the  Bridegroom 
should  pay  board,  which  he  proudly  refused 
to  do,  took  his  bride  and  went  to  W.chita. 
There  he  was  offered  a  position  as  chamber- 
maid in  a  livery  stable  and  the  Girl  found  it 
necessary  at  odd  times  to  do  the  laundry  work 
for  a  small  boarding-house.  Thus  they  lived 
for  near  y  two  years,  when  she  borrowed  a 
postage  stamp  and  wrote  home:  "I  have  a 
Divorce  and  two  children."  The  father  and 


THE  HANDSOME  KNIGHT  SHE  MET  IN  ELMDALE  PARK 


ALONG   THE   RHINE  111 

mother  promptly  sent  her  enough  money  to 
pay  her  fare,  and  she  returned  to  the  castle 
of  her  childhood.  But  she  had  learned  a 
lesson.  The  next  time  she  got  married  she  did 
not  pick  up  a  friend  in  Elmdale  Park,  but 
made  him  show  her  his  bank  book  and  his  re- 
ceipt for  dues  in  the  Modern  Woodmen.  At 
the  place  in  Elmdale  Park  where  she  met  her 
first  soul-mate  she  planted  a  cottonwood  tree, 
which  is  there  yet,  and  under  its  shade  lovers 
now  meet,  remember  this  legend  and  buy  post- 
cards which  tell  the  story. 


In  German  Towns 

COLOGNE,  GERMANY,  August  9. 
This  is  the  big  town  of  the  lower  Rhine 
country  in  Germany,  though  it  has  rivals 
which  may  sometime  take  the  title  away.  It 
is  also  the  old  town,  and  there  have  been 
many  hot  times  in  its  history.  It  was  started 
in  the  first  century  of  the  Christian  era  as  a 
colony  by  Aggripina,  the  mother  of  Nero,  and 
a  lot  of  Roman  soldiers  were  given  extra  rights 
for  settling  in  the  new  town.  A  couple  of 
hundred  years  later  a  bridge  was  built  across 
the  Rhine,  and  Cologne  became  of  commerical 
importance.  When  Christianity  was  extended 
to  this  section  it  was  made  the  seat  of  a  bishop 
and  then  of  an  archbishop.  It  grew  rapidly 
and  was  independent  in  its  tendencies,  so 
when  the  break-up  came  of  the  old  Roman 
empire  it  became  a  free  city,  and  with  some 
bossing  by  the  archbishop  the  people  ruled, 
that  is,  the  wealthier  and  more  important,  a 
sort  of  aristocracy.  Napoleon  annexed  Co- 
logne to  France,  but  when  he  was  overthrown 

(112) 


IN    GERMAN    TOWNS  113 

the  city  was  handed  over  to  the  king  of  Prussia, 
and  it  has  been  Prussian  ever  since.  In  the 
last  hundred  years  Cologne  has  developed  as 
the  great  jobbing  and  commercial  city  of  this 
section.  It  is  full  of  quaint  old  houses,  narrow 
streets,  medieval  architecture,  and  has  the 
best  cathedral  in  Europe.  Dutch  and  German 
cathedrals  are  generally  Protestant,  but  the 
Cologne  cathedral  is  Catholic.  When  the 
Reformation  came  the  Lutherans  especially 
enjoyed  capturing  a  cathedral,  tearing  down 
the  images  and  statues,  destroying  all  the 
artistic  beauty  they  could,  and  making  the 
house  of  God  as  plain  and  uncomfortable  as 
possible.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Catholics 
believed  in  beautifying  and  adorning  their 
churches.  The  present-day  Protestants  doubt- 
less wish  their  predecessors  had  been  less 
zealous  and  that  the  beautiful  decorations  and 
paintings  had  not  been  defaced  by  whitewash. 
The  Cologne  cathedral  is  the  finest  specimen 
of  Gothic  architecture  in  the  world.  Of  course 
it  is  in  the  shape  of  a  cross,  and  is  157  yards 
long,  94  yards  wide,  201  feet  to  the  roof,  357 
feet  to  the  tower  over  the  center,  and  the 
towers  are  515  feet  high.  These  figures  give 


114  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

no  idea  of  the  impressive  and  imposing  in- 
terior ;  and  the  exterior,  which  is  a  profusion 
of  turrets,  gargoyles,  cornices,  galleries  and 
other  decorations,  makes  the  visitor  catch  his 
breath  as  he  looks  at  this  great  structure.  The 
foundation  of  this  cathedral  was  laid  in  1248 
and  the  work  was  completed  thirty  years  ago  ; 
so  there  was  no  rush  about  the  job. 

Twenty-five  miles  below  Cologne  is  Diissel- 
dorf ,  also  on  the  Rhine,  and  the  place  where 
the  iron  and  coal  development  of  Germany 
seeks  its  market.  You  know  what  iron  and 
coal  did  for  Pittsburg,  and  it  is  the  same  with 
Diisseldorf.  It  is  the  growing  city  of  the  sec- 
tion, and  threatens  to  pass  Cologne.  As 
Diisseldorf  is  largely  modern,  having  de- 
veloped since  the  days  of  railroads  and  steel 
bridges,  it  has  wide  streets,  beautiful  build- 
ings, and  its  architecture  is  of  the  present 
generation.  Diisseldorf  is  noted  for  its  mu- 
nicipal ownership,  and  is  often  called  a  model 
city.  The  town  owns  the  street  cars,  the  light 
system,  the  docks  on  the  river,  the  water 
plant,  a  pawn-shop  and  a  lot  of  other  things, 
including  a  couple  of  breweries.  Municipal 


IN   GERMAN   TOWNS  115 

ownership  comes  easier  in  the  Old  World  than 
in  the  New.  It  was  formerly  the  custom  of  the 
government  to  own  everything,  and  to  lay 
out  parks  and  provide  utilities  for  the  people, 
who  were  then  too  poor  to  do  much  them- 
selves. So  the  modern  European  government, 
which  is  largely  popular,  succeeds  to  the  power 
of  the  ancient  monarchical  rule,  and  provides 
the  big  things  for  the  people.  A  strong-handed 
ruler  who  can  condemn  private  property,  and 
wisely  put  the  good  of  the  entire  community 
above  the  property  and  welfare  of  individuals, 
does  these  public  works  much  better  than  our 
own  municipal  governments,  which  have  re- 
stricted powers  and  which  have  to  do  what  the 
people  want  rather  than  tell  the  people  what 
they  ought  to  do.  Generally  speaking  the 
public  ownership  of  utilities  is  a  good  thing, 
provided  the  government  has  the  power  and 
the  integrity  to  do  the  business  right.  Diissel- 
dorf  has  a  mayor  and  twelve  salaried  alder- 
men, a  common  council  of  56  members,  and 
over  5,000  city  employes. 

One  great  difference  between  Germans  and 
Americans  is  the  regard  in  which  they  hold  the 


116  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

law.  Unfortunately,  our  new  civilization  has 
brought  about  a  general  feeling  that  the  law 
is  meant  for  the  other  fellows  and  we  obey 
it  if  we  have  to.  For  that  reason  it  is  easier 
for  a  German  municipality  to  manage  business 
than  it  is  for  an  American — and  especially 
for  a  Kansan.  Imagine  what  would  happen 
in  Hutchinson  if  the  city  owned  a  couple  of 
breweries  like  the  city  of  Diisseldorf .  The  next 
spring  election  the  candidates  would  be  run- 
ning on  the  beer  issue,  and  there  would  be  all 
kinds  of  opinions.  In  Diisseldorf  they  hire 
expert  brewers,  sell  the  product,  and  the  city 
takes  a  good  profit.  In  Hutchinson  the  First 
Ward  would  be  kicking  because  they  didn't 
like  the  head  brewer,  the  Sixth  Ward  would 
demand  a  reduction  in  the  price  of  beer,  and 
the  Third  Ward  would  make  the  candidates 
pledge  themselves  to  another  beer  garden  in 
the  south  part  of  town,  where  it  would  be  poor 
business.  The  final  result  would  be  that 
Mayor  Vincent  and  Dr.  Winans  and  the  rest 
of  the  commission  would  be  charged  with 
favoritism  and  defeated  for  reelection,  and 
their  successors  would  make  beer  at  a  loss  and 
nobody  would  be  satisfied.  The  curse  of 


IN   GERMAN   TOWNS  117 

American  municipal  affairs  is  this  playing  of 
politics  with  every  petty  question.  The  Ger- 
mans take  the  wiser  method  of  cutting  out 
politics,  selecting  their  best  men  for  public 
office,  giving  great  respect  to  them  personally, 
and  accepting  the  laws  they  enact.  When  the 
mayor  of  Diisseldorf  comes  out  for  a  walk 
everybody  he  meets  takes  off  his  hat  and 
salutes.  In  our  country  everybody  the  mayor 
meets  has  a  kick  about  something,  and  as  for 
taking  off  his  hat  to  the  mayor — the  Amer- 
ican citizen  would  see  him  in  Halifax  first. 

A  Kansas  man,  Clarence  Price,  of  Pitts- 
burg,  stirred  up  all  kinds  of  trouble  in  the 
German  empire  recently.  Price  has  a  moving- 
picture  show,  travel  scenes  and  such,  and  is  in 
Europe  to  get  some  of  the  best  and  see  the 
local  color.  He  thought  it  would  be  a  fine 
thing  to  compliment  the  German  army  with  a 
picture ;  so  he  had  his  machine  at  one  of  the 
forts  of  Berlin  taking  views  of  the  drill  of  an 
artillery  squad.  The  police  saw  him,  and  he 
nearly  spent  the  night  in  the  Hotel  de  Jail. 
It  was  all  the  American  Consul  and  the  Asso- 
ciated Press  could  do  to  save  him,  for  the 


118  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

police  believed  he  was  a  French  spy,  and  as 
they  could  not  understand  the  Pittsburg 
language  and  Price  could  not  talk  their  Ger- 
man, it  was  only  with  difficulty  that  he  got 
word  to  his  friends  and  was  finally  released. 
A  German  jail  is  not  fitted  up  for  pleasure 
and  comfort,  but  to  make  people  sorry  they 
get  there,  and  as  the  picture  machine  had  been 
confiscated  there  was  not  even  the  consola- 
tion for  the  Kansas  showman  of  being  able 
to  present  to  the  American  public  the  sight 
of  German  justice  administered  on  the  spot. 

Everywhere  in  Germany  the  load  the  people 
are  carrying  is  militarism.  The  young  men  of 
the  country  lose  several  of  the  best  years  of 
their  life  in  their  army  service,  and  heavy 
taxes  burden  business  and  industry.  The 
people  are  patriotic,  and  this  army  is  neces- 
sary, for  there  is  always  the  prospect  of  a 
war,  and  of  course  they  want  to  lick  the  other 
fellow.  But  the  newspapers  are  praising  Taft 
and  urging  that  arbitration  and  disarmament 
are  practicable  if  the  course  marked  out  by 
the  United  States  is  followed.  It  makes  an 
American  really  proud  of  his  country  and  his 


IN   GERMAN   TOWNS  119 

President  when  he  hears  the  praise  that  is 
everywhere  bestowed  on  both  for  taking  the 
lead  in  the  most  important  movement  of  the 
times.  There  has  been  a  marked  change  in 
sentiment  toward  Americans  among  the  edu- 
cated and  upper  classes  the  last  few  years. 
The  poor  people  always  were  strong  for  us. 
But  the  business  men  and  the  newspapers,  as 
well  as  the  brass  collars,  sneered  at  Ameri- 
cans as  mere  money  -  makers.  McKinley 
brought  the  change  when  the  United  States 
jumped  into  a  war  with  Spain  to  help  Cuba. 
Dewey  at  Manila  pounded  it  into  their  heads 
with  language  the  Europeans  could  under- 
stand. Roosevelt's  dashing  policies  and  his 
stand  for  peace  between  Japan  and  Russia 
impressed  them  wonderfully.  And  now  Taft's 
policy  of  arbitration  instead  of  war  is  receiv- 
ing the  commendation  of  uppers  and  lowers, 
and  they  recognize  the  statesmanship  in  the 
treaties.  To  use  one  of  Roosevelt's  favorite 
words,  it  is  bully  to  be  an  American  and  travel 
in  Europe,  just  to  see  how  much  better  it  is 
at  home  and  to  feel  the  respect  paid  to  our 
great  nation  and  its  leaders. 


Arriving  in  Paris 

PARIS,  August  11. 

Paris  is  a  good  deal  like  a  circus,  a  three- 
ringed  one  which  strains  the  rubber  in  your 
neck  trying  to  see  all  you  can  before  the  acts 
change.  Even  the  arrival  is  theatrical.  As 
the  train  pulled  into  the  Gare  du  Nord,  after 
making  the  last  forty-five  miles  in  fifty-five 
minutes,  I  passed  our  hand  baggage  out 
through  the  open  car  window  to  a  porter,  and, 
going  out  the  door  myself,  told  him  in  a  con- 
fident tone  "voiture,"  which  is  the  foolish 
French  word  for  cab.  He  understood,  piloted 
us  through  the  big  station  and  called  a  little 
victoria  with  a  seat  for  two.  The  driver  wears 
a  white  celluloid  plug  hat  and  a  red  face.  He 
drives  a  horse  which  probably  fought  with 
Napoleon.  He  nods  assent  to  the  name  of  the 
hotel  as  I  mispronounce  it,  takes  our  three 
grips  on  his  seat,  and  away  we  go  down  the 
street,  the  Lord  and  the  cabby  only  knowing 
where.  On  the  sidewalks  are  busy  people 
talking  French,  walking  French,  and  gesturing 

(120) 


ARRIVING    IN    PARIS 


French.  The  stores  and  shops  are  attractive, 
for  the  French  shopkeeper  puts  his  best  stuff 
in  the  front  window,  whether  he  is  selling  hats 
or  sausages.  Big  busses,  with  people  on  top  as 
well  as  inside,  motor  cars  and  motor  busses 
with  horns  and  honks,  loaded  wagons  drawn 
by  heavy  Norman  horses,  street  sweepers 
with  brooms,  policemen  in  red-and-blue  uni- 
forms, maids  in  cap  and  gown,  porters  with 
their  work  shirts  outside  their  trousers,  restau- 
rants and  little  cafes  with  tables  and  chairs  on 
the  sidewalk  and  French  men  slipping  ab- 
sinthe or  cold  coffee,  buildings  almost  uni- 
formly six  stories  high,  built  with  courts  in 
the  center  which  are  often  seen  through  open 
doors,  and  everybody  talking,  gesticulating 
and  screaming  in  a  language  you  cannot  under- 
stand, —  that  is  the  confusion  through  which 
we  drive  for  two  miles  and  for  which  journey 
the  cabman  takes  off  his  hat  when  I  pay  him 
35  cents,  which  includes  a  4-cent  tip  for  him- 
self. The  hotel  porter,  or  chief  clerk,  the  head 
waiter,  the  pages,  the  manager  and  several 
assistants  meet  us  at  the  hotel  door,  and  in 
response  to  inquiries  assure  us  that  there  is  a 
bath-room  in  the  hotel  and  that  they  have  a 


A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 


"very  nice"  room.  As  an  additional  and  de- 
cisive argument  why  we  should  stop  there  the 
chief  clerk  asserts  that  they  have  ice-water, 
and  the  entire  company  falls  back  in  an 
ecstatic  gesture  which  evidently  means  "What 
do  you  think  of  that?"  We  examine  the  room, 
agree  upon  a  price,  and  then  and  not  till  then 
do  we  dismiss  the  cabman  and  proceed  to  get 
settled.  We  are  in  Paris,  the  dirtiest  and 
prettiest  city  in  the  world. 

Of  course  the  first  thing  to  do  is  to  get  out 
and  see  the  sights,  but  of  course  it  is  not.  The 
first  thing  is  to  get  the  mail  and  the  next  is  to 
clean  up.  After  traveling  eight  hours  on  a  fast 
train  through  a  country  which  has  had  no 
rain  for  two  months,  one  really  does  not  care 
for  the  wonderful  things  which  the  world  talks 
about.  Then  comes  the  French  dinner,  which 
is  something  of  an  affair.  A  dinner  in  France 
goes  like  this :  Soup,  fish  or  eggs,  veal,  beef  or 
mutton,  and  a  vegetable  and  salad,  cakes  or 
tarts,  fruit  or  ice.  No  coffee  is  served  with 
the  meal,  but  it  is  usually  taken  later  and  is  an 
additional  charge.  Any  attempt  to  vary  this 
bill  of  fare  is  regarded  as  insane.  I  tried  my 


ARRIVING   IN   PARIS  123 

best  to  get  string  beans  served  with  my  veal 
course,  but  I  couldn't.  The  waiter  said  "Oui," 
then  went  and  called  the  other  waiters,  and  I 
could  see  them  looking  at  the  crazy  American. 
That  made  me  persistent,  and  I  sent  for  the 
head  waiter  and  told  him  I  wanted  beans — 
and  I  knew  they  had  them  ready.  The  head 
waiter  said  "Oui"  and  disappeared,  and  soon 
the  clerks  from  the  office  strolled  by  and 
looked  in.  By  this  time  the  veal  was  cold, 
and  I  realized  that  any  further  attempt  might 
result  in  calling  the  police,  so  I  gave  it  up.  No 
one  refused  to  get  my  beans,  but  each  time  I 
was  told  "oui,"  which  means  "yes"  and  is 
pronounced  "we,"  and  each  time  nothing 
further  happened  except  the  sympathizing 
and  curious  mob.  Once  I  traveled  in  Europe 
with  a  friend  named  McGregor,  who  wanted 
his  coffee  served  with  his  meal,  as  it  is  in 
Illinois.  He  was  willing  to  pay  any  price  and 
he  would  put  in  his  order  hours  ahead  of  meal- 
time. Did  he  get  it?  Certainly  not.  Coffee 
is  not  served  with  the  dinner  in  France,  and 
that  is  all  there  is  to  it. 

American  travelers  have  won  on  one  point — 
ice.    Every  hotel  and  restaurant  which  caters 


124  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

to  American  trade  advertises  ice-water.  No 
Frenchman  will  drink  it,  but  in  some  way  the 
managers  found  that  ice  could  be  procured  in 
the  summer-time,  and  as  a  special  favor  to 
Americans,  at  a  small  increase  in  rates,  the 
hotels  give  us  ice-water. 

No  real  French  hotel  has  a  bath-room,  to 
say  nothing  of  a  room  with  bath.  I  suppose 
the  French,  who  look  clean,  either  go  to  the 
creek  or  swim  in  the  washbowl.  Again  the 
American  influence  is  felt.  First-class  hotels 
now  have  bath-rooms,  or  a  bath-room,  and 
when  it  is  used  the  charge  appears  on  the  bill, 
so  much  for  a  "grand  bath." 

After  dinner  we  went  for  a  walk  on  the 
boulevards,  just  as  every  Frenchman  who  can, 
does  every  evening.  The  boulevards  are  the 
wide  streets  which  run  through  the  city  in 
different  directions,  and  were  constructed  at 
first  for  military  purposes.  In  the  little  narrow 
streets  of  old  Paris  it  was  easy  to  start  a 
revolution  by  merely  throwing  a  barricade 
across  a  "rue,"  prying  up  cobblestones  for 
weapons  and  stationing  a  few  old  women  on 
the  housetops  with  pots  of  scalding  water, 


ARRIVING   IN    PARIS  125 

which  are  harder  on  soldiers  than  leaden 
bullets.  The  revolution  habit  got  so  strong  in 
Paris  that  the  boulevards  were  constructed 
so  the  soldiers  could  march  through  the  city 
without  being  stopped  by  barricades  and 
mobs.  They  are  likely  to  be  used  for  that 
purpose  again  sometime,  but  just  now  the 
boulevards  are  largely  for  parades  in  which 
French  millinery  and  hosiery  are  placed  on 
exhibition  every  afternoon  and  evening.  The 
sidewalks  are  occupied  by  cafes,  miles  of  them 
it  seems  to  me,  and  for  the  price  of  a  drink, 
from  one  cent  up,  and  in  substance  from  coffee 
down,  a  Frenchman  can  occupy  a  comfortable 
seat  and  observe  the  wonders  of  art  and 
glimpses  of  nature  which  pass  by.  An  Amer- 
ican can  do  the  same,  only  a  real  American  can 
never  put  in  a  whole  evening  consuming  one 
small  cup  of  coffee  or  whatever  other  beverage 
he  can  call  for  in  the  French  language. 

So  when  I  say  we  "went  for  a  stroll,"  we 
did  so  in  the  Parisian  sense.  We  went  for  a 
sit,  and  let  the  promenaders  do  the  strolling. 
Here  and  there  an  orchestra  was  playing  some 
frivolous  air,  the  street  lights  flashed  from  the 
lamp-posts,  old  ladies  sold  newspapers  and 


126  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

post-cards,  and  the  chattering  but  musical 
French  language  filled  the  air  with  a  suggestive 
touch  of  the  bohemian  accent.  The  later  the 
hour  the  larger  the  crowd,  until  midnight 
came,  and  then  the  Parisians  went  to  the 
dances  and  parties  and  the  American  visitors 
to  the  hotels. 


The  French  Character 

PARIS,  August  13. 

It  is  a  little  hard  to  take  Paris  seriously, 
because  Paris  refuses  to  take  herself  that 
way.  There  is  a  cheerfulness  and  a  playful- 
ness about  the  French  folks  that  is  hard  to 
appreciate  from  the  calm  viewpoint  of  an 
Englishman  or  American.  Our  standards  are 
different  along  so  many  lines  that  compari- 
sons are  unfair  without  explanations ;  and 
who  cares  for  long-winded  explanations  ?  Ac- 
cording to  all  the  rules  that  are  laid  down  in 
the  books  of  American  etiquette,  the  people 
of  this  city  should  be  behind  the  rest  of  the 
world  in  all  the  serious  and  necessary  works 
of  life.  And  yet  French  generals  have  fought 
and  defeated  larger  armies  with  their  French 
soldiers,  French  engineers  have  performed 
marvelous  feats,  French  scientists  are  author- 
ity, French  musicians  command  the  highest 
prices,  French  business  men  do  great  things, 
the  French  people  are  wealthy,  and  when  it 
comes  to  literature  and  art  we  in  America  are 

(127) 


128  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

really  small  potatoes.  The  fact  seems  to  be 
that  the  Frenchman  who  promenades  the 
boulevard  and  the  French  lady  who  startles 
the  Puritan  in  us,  are  accomplishing  just  as 
much  with  somewhat  limited  resources,  as 
we  do,  and  we  are  the  greatest  people  on 
earth  as  we  admit  ourselves. 

The  show  place  in  Paris  is  the  parallelo- 
gram along  the  Seine,  consisting  of  the 
Champs-Elysees,  the  Place  de  la  Concorde, 
the  Tuileries  gardens,  and  the  Louvre  art 
gallery.  This  district  is  about  three  miles 
long  and  averages  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide. 
It  contains  the  Champs  with  beautiful  gar- 
dens and  woods  intersected  by  wide  avenues, 
then  the  Place  de  la  Concorde,  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  squares  in  the  world,  the 
Tuileries'  commodious  public  playgrounds, 
with  ponds  and  fountains ;  palaces  with  pic- 
tures, statues  and  monuments  historical  and 
allegorical;  and  the  end  is  in  the  Louvre, 
which  is  said  to  be  the  greatest  collection  of 
art  in  existence.  There  is  not  a  chord  in  the 
human  mind  and  heart  which  is  not  touched 
beautifully  and  effectively  by  some  part  of 


THE   FRENCH   CHARACTER  129 

this  magnificent  public  place,  which  belongs 
to  the  people  and  is  used  by  them.  The  more 
one  thinks  over  this  feature,  the  more  he  must 
realize  that  although  the  French  do  not  con- 
form to  our  methods  they  are  certainly  able 
to  reach  many  of  our  best  ideals,  and  whether 
they  go  around  or  cross-lots  to  get  there  de- 
pends upon  the  viewpoint  of  the  critic. 

The  old  Bourbon  kings  of  France  under- 
stood their  people.  While  they  made  it  hard 
for  the  common  people  to  get  a  living  they 
made  it  easy  for  them  to  have  a  good  time. 
Whenever  the  public  kicked  on  taxes,  the 
king  laid  out  a  new  park  and  gave  a  fete  with 
free  drinks  and  fireworks.  The  Bourbons 
would  probably  be  reigning  yet  if  Louis  the 
Sixteenth  and  his  wife,  Marie  Antoinette,  had 
had  any  sense.  Antoinette  was  German  and 
did  not  understand  the  French  ways,  Louis 
was  a  poor  politician,  and  when  a  storm  came 
they  lost  their  heads  figuratively  and  then  lost 
them  actually.  The  republic  lasted  a  few 
years  and  then  Napoleon,  who  was  as  great 
a  player  to  the  grandstand  as  he  was  a  general, 
became  emperor,  and  only  his  foolish  desire 


ISO  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

to  conquer  everybody  lost  him  his  job.  The 
Bourbons  came  back  as  kings,  but  they  had 
no  sense.  The  French  people  want  to  be 
fooled,  and  these  kings  couldn't  fool  anybody. 
So  there  was  another  republic,  and  then  Na- 
poleon the  Third  came  to  the  front  on  the 
reputation  of  his  uncle,  the  great  Napoleon. 
He  worked  the  French  people  to  a  finish, 
built  palaces,  boulevards  and  playgrounds 
until  he  had  everybody  for  him,  and  then  got 
captured  by  the  Germans,  lost  his  reputation 
and  throne,  and  France  became  a  republic 
for  the  third  time.  This  was  in  1871,  and 
the  republic  has  lasted  forty  years,  much 
longer  than  expected,  but  in  fact  the  govern- 
ment has  been  wisely  conducted  and  has  un- 
derstood the  French  character  well.  There 
is  another  Napoleon,  by  the  name  of  Victor, 
who  is  likely  to  come  back,  and  sometime 
when  the  government  does  an  imprudent  thing 
the  people  will  remember  the  good  old  times 
of  Napoleon  and  return  to  a  monarchy.  Vic- 
tor married  the  daughter  of  the  old  Emperor 
of  Belgium,  and  has  a  big  campaign  fund. 

Of  course  everybody  knows  these  facts, 
and  I  have  recited  them  to  illustrate  the 


THE   FRENCH   CHARACTER  131 

French  national  character.  The  French  are 
not  false,  but  they  are  fickle.  They  like  a 
change,  a  novelty,  an  excitement.  A  revo- 
lution, or  a  new  government,  appeals  to  their 
sense  of  enjoyment  just  as  does  a  new  pic- 
ture, a  new  hat,  or  a  new  coiffure.  In  spite 
of  this  trait  they  have  done  great  things  in 
all  the  great  lines  of  advancement  and  prog- 
ress. Theoretically  they  should  be  failures, 
but  in  fact  they  are  successful.  They  con- 
sider Paris  the  greatest  city  of  the  world,  and 
the  way  the  people  of  other  countries  come 
here  and  add  to  the  circulating  medium  seems 
to  prove  they  are  right.  They  practically 
refuse  to  learn  any  other  language,  but  all 
other  countries  study  French.  Thousands  of 
English  and  American  Puritans  come  to  Paris 
every  year,  but  the  Frenchman  who  travels 
for  pleasure  is  unknown.  Why  is  it?  I  give 
it  up,  unless  we  have  some  French  tastes  along 
with  our  English  standards. 

The  French  people  are  the  most  temperate, 
most  economical  and  most  saving  of  any  of 
the  peoples  of  Europe — or  America.  With 
all  their  fun  they  love  money,  and  never  for- 


A   JAYHAWKER   IN    EUROPE 


get  the  necessity  of  having  some  in  their  old 
age.  Get  off  the  Parisian  boulevards,  which 
are  spoiled  by  visitors,  and  you  see  the  French, 
pure  and  simple,  though  not  so  very  pure  and 
not  at  all  simple.  They  will  bargain  and 
figure  down  to  the  "sou,"  the  popular  coin, 
worth  two  American  cents.  Every  French 
family  figures  on  spending  less  than  it  makes, 
and  does  it.  There  are  practically  no  sav- 
ings banks  and  no  one  much  has  a  bank  ac- 
count, but  as  soon  as  a  little  money  is  saved 
it  is  invested  in  government  bonds  or  munic- 
ipal or  railroad  bonds,  which  bear  four  per 
cent  interest.  Every  family  has  government 
bonds,  and  this  habit  of  investing  in  securi- 
ties is  the  reason  which  makes  France  so  great 
and  strong  financially.  The  people  pile  their 
savings  into  the  government  treasury,  the 
only  bank  they  know.  The  family,  which  is 
always  small  in  France,  must  save  for  the 
daughter's  dot,  or  she  will  never  be  married, 
and  for  the  last  years  of  the  parents'  lives. 
There  are  practically  no  abjectly  poor  people 
in  France.  It  is  not  fashionable  to  be  poor, 
and  French  men  and  French  women  must  be 
fashionable. 


THE   FRENCH   CHARACTER  133 

The  Place  de  la  Concorde  is  a  wonderful 
square,  larger  than  a  couple  of  our  city  blocks. 
In  the  center  is  an  obelisk,  presented  by 
Mohammed  Ali  when  he  was  viceroy  of 
Egypt  and  before  the  bargain  sale  of  obelisks 
took  place.  It  is  a  block  of  red  granite,  75 
feet  high  and  covered  with  hieroglyphics 
which  tell  the  deeds  of  an  Egyptian  gentle- 
man named  Rameses.  The  obelisk  is  sur- 
rounded by  large  fountains  with  mermaids 
and  Tritons  and  dolphins  spouting  water  into 
lower  basins.  Around  the  square  are  statues 
representing  the  eight  principal  cities  of 
France.  Since  the  monuments  were  erected 
one  of  these  cities,  Strassburg,  has  been  taken 
by  the  Germans.  This  was  forty  years  ago, 
but  the  monument  still  stands,  and  it  is 
draped  in  mourning.  In  any  other  country 
the  statue  would  have  been  quietly  removed, 
but  the  French  are  not  built  that  way. 
They  hang  their  wreaths  around  Strassburg, 
swear  vengeance  on  the  Germans,  and  have 
a  good  time. 

This  mourning  habit  is  very  popular  in 
Paris.  The  ladies  who  are  called  upon  to 


134  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

mourn  do  so  with  proper  regard  for  appear- 
ances. As  near  as  I  can  figure  it  out  the 
death  of  a  second  cousin  puts  all  the  female 
members  of  a  family  into  deep  black.  A 
mourning -gown  with  a  very  hobble  skirt, 
with  the  hoisery  and  millinery  to  match  and 
with  plumes  and  decollete  neck  to  strengthen 
the  effect, — well,  it  does  not  detract  from  the 
human  interest  one  naturally  takes  at  such 
a  time. 


The  Latin  Quarter 

PARIS,  August  15. 

As  everyone  knows,  the  city  of  Paris  is 
cut  into  two  parts  by  the  river  Seine,  which 
runs  through  it  from  east  to  west  and  with  its 
curves  is  about  seven  miles  in  length  within 
the  town.  The  river  is  crossed  by  many 
bridges,  all  stone  and  substantial,  many  orna- 
mented by  statues.  Little  steamboats  run 
up  and  down  like  street  cars,  and  the  banks 
are  covered  with  massive  stone  walls.  About 
half-way  through  the  city  are  two  islands,  one 
called  the  Cite  and  the  other  the  Isle  of  St. 
Louis.  The  Cite  is  the  most  ancient  part 
of  Paris,  and  was  a  town  in  the  time  of  Csesar. 
The  coming  of  Christianity  was  marked  by 
the  erection  of  a  church,  and  about  the  12th 
century  by  the  present  cathedral  Notre- 
Dame,  one  of  the  famous  buildings  in  Europe, 
but  not  one  of  the  finest  cathedrals.  By  this 
time  the  city  had  spread  out  on  the  banks, 
and  the  organization  of  France  into  a  king- 
dom with  Paris  as  the  capital  was  followed  by 

(135) 


136  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

a  removal  of  the  royal  residence  and  of  most 
of  the  activities  to  the  sides  of  the  stream. 
On  the  south  side  developed  the  university, 
the  artists'  studios,  and  eventually  the  mili- 
tary establishments.  Big  business,  the  large 
residences  and  industrial  enterprises  went  to 
the  north  bank.  The  Latin  Quarter,  as  the 
educational  and  artistic  section  is  known,  on 
the  south,  while  equipped  with  large  stores, 
palaces  and  public  buildings,  is  a  most  in- 
teresting and  quaint  place,  and  though  still 
Bohemian  is  very  respectable,  from  a  Parisian 
viewpoint. 

The  University  of  Paris,  the  original  part 
of  which  was  the  Sorbonne,  now  an  immense 
structure,  has  about  15,000  students.  It  dif- 
fers from  American  universities  in  many  re- 
spects. There  are  no  recitations.  The  in- 
struction is  given  by  lectures,  and  a  famous 
authority  on  law,  or  philosophy  or  science, 
can  lecture  to  hundreds  as  easily  as  to  a  small 
class.  There  are  no  dormitories,  no  frater- 
nities, no  football  clubs,  no  spring  parties, 
no  classes,  no  sports,  no  colors,  no  badges, 
none  of  the  essential  parts  of  American  higher 


THE   LATIN   QUARTER  137 

education.  Students  of  any  age  or  previous 
training  may  enroll  and  become  members  of 
the  University,  go  to  the  lectures  they  desire, 
or  not  go  at  all  if  they  prefer.  The  public 
can  attend  the  lectures  and  the  University 
is  open  to  women,  though  the  proportion  of 
women  students  is  not  large.  The  most  effi- 
cient instruction  and  the  greatest  sources  of 
information  are  open  to  the  students — if  they 
desire.  The  Sorbonne  was  erected  in  1629 
by  Cardinal  Richelieu,  and  named  for  Robert 
de  Sorbonne,  who  started  a  school  for  the 
education  of  poor  boys  in  theology  about 
1250.  It  has  been  rebuilt  and  enlarged  until 
it  is  a  vast  pile  800  feet  long  and  300  feet 
wide.  This  building  houses  the  schools  in 
literature  and  science,  the  schools  of  law  and 
medicine  occupying  buildings  near  by. 

Although  the  students  at  the  University 
of  Paris  do  not  have  the  fun  in  athletics  and 
society  that  the  students  do  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  Kansas,  they  have  a  good  time  in  the 
French  way.  The  quarter  is  filled  with  cafes, 
large  and  small,  where  students  and  artists 
congregate  and  eat,  drink  and  make  merry. 


138  A   JAYHAWKER   IN  EUROPE 

The  back  room  of  the  cafe  is  something  of  a 
club,  and  discussions  on  art  and  science 
mingle  with  the  perfume  of  tobacco  and  fer- 
mented grape-juice.  While  there  is  a  lack 
of  co-eds  there  is  no  scarcity  of  ladies,  who 
constitute  a  part  of  the  course  taken  by  many 
of  the  students,  not  leading  to  a  degree,  not 
even  to  matrimony.  All  of  this,  which  would 
be  regarded  with  horror  in  Lawrence,  is  quite 
the  thing  in  Paris  and  seems  to  work  out  most 
satisfactorily  to  the  University  authorities, 
for  even  the  professors  do  not  hesitate  to 
mingle  with  their  students  at  the  evening 
sessions  in  the  joints  of  the  Latin  Quarter. 
The  men  take  examinations  and  degrees  and 
go  their  way  to  promote  the  advancement  of 
learning,  while  the  ladies  stay  and  aid  in  the 
instruction  of  the  next  generation  of  students. 
The  original  of  the  old  college  story  took 
place  in  the  Sorbonne.  A  father  who  had 
graduated  many  years  before  came  for  a  visit 
with  his  son,  who  had  matriculated  as  a  stu- 
dent. The  son  had  gone  to  the  same  lodging- 
place  which  his  father  had  occupied  in  the 
years  gone  by.  The  old  man  was  recalling 
his  student  days,  looking  over  the  familiar 


THE   LATIN   QUARTER  159 

place,  noticing  the  changes  and  the  old  scenes. 
"The  same  old  beamed  ceiling,  where  I 
carved  my  name,  and  here  it  is,"  he  ex- 
claimed with  delight.  "The  same  old  view 
from  the  window.  The  same  old  furniture— 
and  just  then  the  back  door  opened  and  a 
dashing  lady  appeared.  "Same  old  girl,"  he 
cried  with  rapture.  The  boy  tried  to  ex- 
plain that  she  was  a  friend  of  a  friend.  "Same 
old  story,"  was  the  happy  comment,  "Same 
old  game." 

Near  the  Sorbonne  is  the  Pantheon,  origi- 
nally built  for  a  church,  in  the  shape  of  a 
Greek  cross,  located  on  a  hill  which  is  the 
highest  place  on  the  south  side  of  the  river, 
and  with  a  noble  dome  that  can  be  seen  for 
many  miles.  This  is  a  new  building,  having 
been  constructed  in  the  eighteenth  century. 
It  was  dedicated  to  Saint  Genevieve,  the 
patron  saint  of  Paris.  The  revolution  con- 
verted it  into  a  memorial  temple  and  named 
it  the  Pantheon.  It  has  been  a  church  a 
couple  of  times  since  then,  but  is  now  not 
used  for  religious  purposes.  It  is  the  bury- 
ing-place  of  great  Frenchmen.  Here  are 


140  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

buried  Victor  Hugo,  Mirabeau,  Rousseau, 
Carnot,  and  others  distinguished  in  literature 
and  statecraft.  You  can  see  the  last  rest- 
ing-place of  these  great  men  by  securing  an 
order  from  the  Government  or  by  tipping 
the  custodian :  the  latter  way  I  always  find 
the  easiest  and  best.  The  Pantheon  is  beau- 
tifully decorated,  and  the  interior  with  Corin- 
thian columns  and  mural  paintings  is  most 
effective.  If  it  makes  any  difference  to  these 
men  where  they  are  buried  they  should  be 
glad,  for  it  is  the  finest  memorial  building  in 
Europe. 

That  leads  me  to  a  rather  grave  subject. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  funerals  are  very  im- 
portant events  in  France.  Three  or  four  di- 
rectors in  black  clothes  and  three-cornered 
hats  march  ahead,  and  the  hearse  is  heavily 
draped.  If  the  departed  was  a  man  of  prom- 
inence there  are  a  number  of  orations  deliv- 
ered, the  crowd  goes  away  excited  over  the 
condition  of  the  republic,  and  is  likely  to 
break  windows  and  show  its  feeling  toward 
the  political  opponents  of  the  deceased.  When 
Zola  was  buried  a  hundred  thousand  people 


THE   LATIN   QUARTER  141 

marched  in  the  procession,  and  there  were  a 
number  of  street  fights  and  duels  as  a  climax. 

But  the  biggest  thing  in  the  Latin  Quarter 
so  far  as  American  tourists  are  concerned  is 
the  Bon  Marche,  I  suppose  the  largest  retail 
general  store  in  the  world.  In  most  ways  it 
is  like  our  department  stores,  and  announces 
that  it  has  made  its  success  by  reason  of  faith- 
ful dealings  with  the  public  and  by  adver- 
tising. It  has  been  running  about  fifty  years ; 
the  original  proprietor  is  dead,  but  the  busi- 
ness moves  on  smoothly.  The  corporation 
has  a  method  of  division  of  profits  among 
employes  who  have  been  with  the  store  more 
than  ten  years.  It  also  pensions  its  old  em- 
ployes, provides  lectures  and  amusements  for 
its  workers,  and  has  a  paternal  and  cooper- 
ative side  that  is  interesting,  although  the 
corporation  is  in  fact  controlled  by  a  few 
heavy  stockholders. 

Somehow  I  had  the  idea  that  our  own  coun- 
try was  the  leader  in  the  big  department  store 
business.  But  the  Bon  Marche  and  others 
in  Paris  took  the  idea  out  of  me.  It  has  many 
clerks  who  speak  foreign  langauges,  and  it 


A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 


is  said  that  a  native  of  Timbuctoo  or  Arkan- 
sas could  slip  into  the  store  and  find  some  one 
who  could  speak  his  language. 

The  clerks  in  the  Bon  Marche  get  from  $3 
to  $6  a  week,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  who 
have  special  qualifications.  So  I  guess  the 
old-age  pension  business  is  necessary.  That 
is  the  ordinary  wage  paid  store  clerks  in 
Paris. 

It  was  at  the  Bon  Marche  that  the  ancient 
joke  happened  to  me.  I  was  looking  at  a 
price-mark,  and,  not  understanding  the  figure, 
inquired  in  my  pigeon  French,  "Est  sees  [6] 
auter  set?  [7]."  The  clerk  answered  "It  is 


six.' 


My  French  is  a  joke.  From  necessity  I 
have  learned  enough  French  words  to  order 
a  meal,  buy  a  ticket  and  ask  how  much.  I 
have  found  that  a  good  bluff,  plenty  of  signs 
and  the  throwing  in  of  French  and  German 
words  on  the  subject  generally  get  about 
what  I  want.  But  often  I  fall  down.  The 
word  for  potatoes  in  French  is  "pommes." 
I  told  a  waiter  I  wanted  "fried  pommes," 
and  as  the  word  for  cold  is  "froid,"  I  got  cold 
potatoes. 


THE   LATIN   QUARTER  143 

I  went  for  a  ride  in  the  underground  tube. 
Bought  my  tickets  and  got  onto  a  train  I 
knew  was  in  the  right  direction.  It  stopped, 
everybody  got  out,  and  the  porter  insisted 
that  I  go  too.  I  knew  something  was  wrong, 
and  I  tackled  the  platform  boss  with  good 
English.  He  couldn't  understand  a  word,  so 
he  waved  his  hands  and  clawed  the  air  and 
talked  French  for  a  couple  of  minutes.  Then 
he  tried  to  walk  off,  but  I  hung  on.  I  was 
away  down  below  the  surface  of  the  ground 
and  didn't  even  know  straight  up.  "Corre- 
spond" he  kept  saying,  and  I  assured  him 
I  would  be  glad  to  do  so  if  he  would  give  me 
his  address,  but  first  I  wanted  to  know  where 
I  was  "at."  I  knew  he  was  swearing,  but 
it  was  French  swear  and  I  didn't  mind.  Fi- 
nally he  took  me  by  the  arm  and  walked  me 
through  a  couple  of  passages  and  pointed  to 
another  platform.  A  light  broke  in  on  me, 
and  I  took  the  train  which  soon  came.  I 
learned  afterward  that  "correspond"  is  French 
for  "transfer." 


The  Boulevards  of  Paris 

PARIS,  August  18. 

The  boulevards  of  Paris  are  one  of  the 
wonders  of  the  world.  Strictly  speaking  there 
are  a  number  of  broad  avenues  which  are 
called  boulevards,  but  usually  "the  boule- 
vards" is  a  phrase  which  means  the  one  long 
wide  boulevard  extending  for  several  miles, 
from  near  the  Place  de  la  Concorde  to  the 
Place  de  la  Bastille,  built  in  a  semi-circle  on 
the  north  of  the  old  city  and  on  the  fortifica- 
tions which  defended  the  city  in  the  Middle 
Ages.  Of  course  later  walls  and  fortifications 
were  built  farther  out,  and  the  "grand  boule- 
vards" are  through  the  heart  of  the  present 
Paris.  The  boulevard — for  it  is  one  continuous 
highway — changes  its  name  every  few  blocks, 
a  fact  that  is  characteristically  French  and 
somewhat  confusing  to  the  stranger.  The  be- 
ginning is  a  short  distance  from  the  Place  de 
la  Concorde  at  the  church  of  the  Madeleine, 
the  fashionable  church  of  Paris.  The  building 
is  in  the  style  of  a  Roman  temple,  and  has  an 

(144) 


THE   BOULEVARDS   OF   PARIS  145 

imposing  colonnade  of  Corinthian  columns. 
The  interior  decorations  are  very  good,  and 
include  a  large  fresco  above  the  altar  in  which 
Christ,  Napoleon  and  Pope  Pius  the  Seventh 
are  classified  more  or  less  together.  The  boule- 
vard is  called  The  Madeleine  for  about  200 
yards,  when  the  name  changes  to  the  Capu- 
cines  and  sticks  for  a  couple  of  blocks  until 
the  grand  opera  house  is  reached.  Along  this 
short  stretch  are  some  of  the  wildest  music 
halls  and  the  greatest  cafes  of  the  world.  The 
greatest  is  the  Cafe  de  la  Paix,  where  every- 
body who  visits  Paris  goes  for  at  least  one 
drink  of  ginger  ale  or  cold  coffee. 

The  Opera  is  the  largest  theatre  in  the 
world,  covering  about  three  acres.  The  site 
alone  cost  $2,000,000  and  the  building  over 
$7,000,000.  The  materials  are  marble  and 
costly  stone,  and  there  are  statues  of  Poetry, 
Music,  Drama,  Dance,  with  other  figures,  me- 
dallions and  allegorical  statuary  until  your 
head  swims.  The  front  of  the  roof  is  sculp- 
tured with  gilded  masks  and  with  collossal 
groups  representing  Music  and  Poetry  at- 
tended by  the  Muses  and  Goddesses  of  Fame. 
Apollo  with  a  golden  lyre  and  two  Pegasuses 


146  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

occupy  the  dome.  The  interior  has  a  grand 
staircase  of  marble  with  a  rail  of  onyx,  and 
the  rest  of  the  interior  is  be-columned  and  be- 
frescoed  to  match.  It  is  the  most  beautiful 
building  in  Paris,  and  could  hardly  be  sur- 
passed if  the  attempt  were  made  regardless 
of  expense.  I  would  not  try  a  detailed  de- 
scription, for  it  would  not  convey  the  real 
effect,  best  described  by  the  word  gorgeous. 

From  the  Opera  a  street  runs  southerly 
called  the  Avenue  de  TOpera,  the  great  shop- 
ping street  of  Paris,  and  at  another  angle  goes 
the  Street  de  la  Paix,  where  the  most  expensive 
jewelry  stores  and  millinery  establishments  are 
located.  The  name  of  this  street  is  properly 
pronounced  de  la  Pay. 

But  the  Boulevard  continues,  no  longer  the 
Capucines,  but  the  Italiens.  Some  years  ago 
this  was  the  great  shopping-place,  and  it  is 
not  bad  now.  As  the  ladies  promenade  past 
the  Opera  and  into  the  Italiens,  the  skirts 
unconsciously  go  a  little  higher.  The  boule- 
vard proceeds,  the  next  section  being  called 
the  Montmartre.  This  part  interested  me  a 
great  deal.  On  the  rue  Montmartre,  a  side 
street  to  the  right,  is  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  on 


THE   BOULEVARDS   OF   PARIS  147 

Mt.  Montmartre,  a  little  to  the  left,  is  the 
Moulin  Rouge. 

The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  Paris  is  one  of  the  best 
things  in  the  city,  but  it  does  not  get  much 
newspaper  notoriety.  It  is  an  English-speak- 
ing organization,  with  convenient  quarters, 
parlor,  reception,  billiard,  smoking-  and  din- 
ing-rooms. It  is  one  place  in  Paris  where 
there  is  no  cafe  or  bar,  and  it  is  a  great  help 
to  young  men  from  America  who  are  in  this 
city  by  reason  of  their  business  or  to  study  or 
to  visit  the  historic  places.  A  great  many  use 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  facilities,  and  a  membership 
card  from  Hutchinson  or  any  other  associa- 
tion in  the  world  is  good  for  these  privileges 
in  the  heart  of  Paris.  I  would  recommend  to 
every  American  that  when  he  goes  to  Paris 
he  make  his  headquarters  at  the  Y.  M.  C.  A., 
but  I  am  not  going  to  count  on  many  of  them 
doing  it.  The  Paris  atmosphere  has  the  same 
effect  on  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  that  a  nice,  warm 
August  sun  has  on  a  cake  of  ice  left  on  the 
sidewalk  in  Hutchinson.  I  am  not  telling  what 
I  would  like  to,  but  I  setting  down  the  facts 
as  they  appear  to  me.  The  man  who  goes  to 
Paris  and  sticks  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  as  his 


148  A   JAYHAWKER    IN    EUROPE 

loafing-place  should  have  his  halo  ordered  at 
once.     He  has  a  cinch. 

In  the  other  direction,  on  Mt.  Montmartre, 
is  the  Moulin  Rouge.  I  do  not  recommend  it 
to  nervous  men,  but  it  is  one  of  the  sights  of 
this  city.  When  I  was  a  boy  I  read  somewhere 
about  a  "gilded  palace  of  sin,"and  now  I  know 
what  that  means.  The  cowboys  out  west  used 
to  have  what  they  called'  "  f ree-and-easies," 
but  the  Moulin  Rouge  is  not  free.  I  shut  my 
eyes  as  the  dancers  loped  by  until  a  friend 
said  the  next  dance  would  be  a  quadrille.  I 
once  danced  quadrilles  myself,  and  I  thought 
there  would  be  a  breathing-place.  The  young 
people  arranged  themselves  as  if  they  were 
going  to  dance  a  Virginia  Reel,  and  I  could 
feel  consciousness  returning.  The  music 
struck  up  and  the  quadrille  began.  At  first 
it  went  as  smooth  as  if  it  were  at  the  Country 
Club.  Then  each  young  lady  passed  the  toe 
of  her  right  foot  over  the  head  of  her  partner. 
Then  she  turned  and  pointed  the  toe  of  her 
left  foot  at  the  chandelier  which  hung  from 
the  ceiling.  And  then  came  the  most  wonder- 
ful display  of  things  that  are  put  in  the  store 


THE    PLAIN    QUADRILLE    AT    THE    MOULIN    ROUGE 


THE   BOULEVARDS   OF   PARIS  149 

windows  at  home  and  marked  "white  goods 
sale,"  or  "lingerie." 

It  was  dreadfully  embarrassing  to  me,  as  it 
must  have  been  to  any  other  Kansas  man 
present,  but  I  braced  myself,  for  I  knew  the 
worst  was  yet  to  come.  I  felt  like  getting  right 
up  on  my  chair  and  saying,  "Ladies,  there  are 
gentlemen  present."  But  I  didn't,  and  I  have 
been  glad  ever  since,  for  they  might  not  have 
understood  English  and  thought  I  wanted  a 
partner  for  the  next  quadrille. 

Afterwards  the  proceedings  became  almost 
immodest. 

So  I  do  not  recommend  the  Moulin  Rouge, 
though  I  fear  that  this  failure  on  my  part  will 
not  detract  from  the  rush  of  strangers  who  are 
visiting  in  Paris  and  who  might  go  to  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  But  I  will  say  in  passing  that  it 
is  no  place  for  a  man  unless  his  wife  is  with 
him,  and  it  is  somewhat  distracting  even  then. 

Returning  to  the  boulevard.  It  changes  its 
name  to  the  Poissoniere,  and  on  this  part  is 
the  office  of  the  Matin,  the  great  newspaper, 
which  has  750,000  circulation,  prints  only  six 


150  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

pages,  and  pretends  not  to  care  for  advertis- 
ing. The  Matin  differs  from  most  Parisian 
newspapers  in  really  printing  news.  The 
general  run  of  papers  here  are  purely  political, 
and  put  their  editorials  on  the  front  page. 
They  are  very  abusive,  and  the  editor  has  to 
fight  frequent  duels.  The  fighting  is  done  with 
pistols  at  a  safe  distance,  and  after  an  ex- 
change of  shots  with  nobody  hurt,  the  princi- 
pals rush  together  and  clinch,  but  it  is  to  kiss 
each  other  on  both  cheeks  and  rejoice  that 
Honor  has  been  Satisfied.  I  wouldn't  mind  the 
dueling,  but  I  positively  would  not  kiss  these 
Frenchmen,  and  so  far  as  I  can  learn  the 
society  editresses  do  not  duel. 

The  Matin  is  the  paper  that  cleared  Dreyfus 
after  his  trial  and  conviction  a  few  years  ago. 
The  story  is  interesting.  Dreyfus  was  made 
the  victim  of  a  conspiracy,  and  a  document 
showing  details  of  the  French  army  was  at- 
tributed to  him  as  a  German  spy.  Everybody 
remembers  the  trial  and  the  fuss  at  the  time. 
It  became  a  contest  between  the  Honor  of  the 
French  Army  and  Dreyfus.  The  Matin  took 
little  part,  but,  like  most  of  the  French,  sided 


THE   BOULEVARDS   OF   PARIS  151 

with  the  army.  One  evening  at  a  dinner  an 
officer  of  the  court  exhibited  the  original  of 
the  document  which  Dreyfus  had  been  con- 
victed of  writing.  Mr.  Bueno-Varilla,  editor 
of  the  Matin,  was  present,  and  as  the  paper 
was  passed  around  he  looked  at  it  carelessly. 
That  night  when  he  reached  home  he  re- 
membered that  a  few  years  before  this  same 
Dreyfus  had  written  him  a  letter  about  some 
engineering,  and  he  dug  up  the  letter.  The 
handwriting  was  not  at  all  what  he  had  seen 
that  evening.  He  rushed  to  the  telephone  and 
got  the  official  who  had  shown  the  document, 
who  promised  to  bring  it  to  him  in  the  morn- 
ing. They  compared  the  spy  information  and 
the  Dreyfus  letter  which  Bueno-Varilla  had, 
and  they  were  utterly  unlike.  Next  day  the 
Matin  printed  a  photograph  copy  of  the  docu- 
ment, and  appealed  to  anyone  who  knew  the 
handwriting  to  advise  the  Matin.  In  a  day  or 
two  a  gentleman  wrote  and  said  it  was  the 
writing  of  a  drunken  bankrupt  army  officer, 
named  Esterhazey,  inclosing  letters  from  the 
latter  which  proved  it.  Dreyfus  was  brought 
back  from  prison  and  pardoned,  Esterhazey 
skipped  the  country,  and  the  honor  of  the 


152  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

French  army  was  flyspecked.  All  of  this  be- 
cause Bueno-Varilla  happened  to  keep  an  old 
letter,  and  because  he  owned  the  Matin. 

The  boulevard  next  becomes  the  Bonne- 
Nouvelle,  and  then  St.  Denis  and  then  St. 
Martin,  and  has  several  other  names  before 
it  reaches  its  end  in  the  Place  de  la  Bastille. 

This  place  is  even  more  important  in  French 
history  than  Independence  Hall  in  ours.  The 
14th  of  July  is  celebrated  every  year,  just  as 
we  do  the  4th  of  July  as  Independence  Day, 
because  on  that  date  in  1789  the  Bastille 
prison  was  destroyed  by  an  uprising  of  the 
people  which  became  the  French  Revolution. 
The  Bastille  was  especially  odious  because 
political  prisoners  were  confined  there,  and 
it  only  took  an  order  from  the  police  to  send 
a  man  or  woman  to  its  dungeons.  Its  use  for 
this  purpose  was  so  flagrant  and  so  despotic 
that  the  first  fury  of  the  revolution  was  di- 
rected against  its  walls,  and  it  was  entirely 
destroyed,  and  the  jailers  and  soldiers  defend- 
ing it  were  killed.  The  place  is  now  a  large 
square  surrounded  by  business  houses  and 
ornamented  by  a  statue  of  Liberty  on  a 
column  150  feet  high.  From  the  beginning  to 


THE   BOULEVARDS   OF   PARIS  153 

the  end  of  this  great  boulevard  with  the  many 
names,  are  places  made  historic  by  great  men 
and  hard  rights.  Now  it  is  a  peaceful,  broad 
avenue,  with  shops  and  cafes  and  handsome 
buildings,  the  promenade-ground  for  the  Pa- 
risian and  of  tourists  from  all  countries. 


Some  French  Ways 

PARIS,  August  20. 

There  are  practically  no  athletic  sports  in 
France,  none  at  all  in  and  around  Paris.  In 
America  the  men  put  in  a  lot  of  time  talking 
baseball,  football,  boating  and  such-like.  In 
France  the  men  talk  only  politics  or  gossip. 
There  are  no  lodges  and  no  clubs  in  France. 
This  ought  to  be  applauded  by  the  women,  but 
as  a  matter  of  fact  they  probably  wish  the  men 
would  do  a  little  something  in  that  line.  There 
is  a  secret  order  or  two,  but  they  are  not  strong 
and  not  recognized  by  the  orders  in  other 
countries.  Frenchmen  do  not  seem  to  care  for 
athletics  of  any  kind.  The  nearest  approach 
to  it  is  fencing,  and  the  young  Frenchman 
learns  to  use  the  sword  so  he  can  fight  duels. 
The  popular  Hero  is  not  a  ball-player  nor  a 
prize-fighter,  but  a  man  who  has  invented 
something  new  or  who  has  run  off  with  the 
wife  of  a  friend.  They  are  venturesome  and 
personally  brave,  but  they  can't  stand  for 
team  work.  The  attempt  has  been  made  to 

(154) 


SOME   FRENCH    WAYS  155 

introduce  a  mild  form  of  football,  but  every 
man  on  the  team  wanted  to  be  the  star.  I 
suppose  if  the  French  should  organize  a  base- 
ball club  every  one  of  them  would  insist  on 
being  pitcher.  They  will  go  up  in  balloons  or 
airships  with  dashing  recklessness  and  are 
brave  enough,  if  that  trait  is  not  merely  the 
absence  of  caution  and  calculation.  French 
aviators  are  numerous  and  successful,  though 
the  fatalities  are  still  many.  They  have  shown 
themselves  good  fighters  but  not  good  losers. 
They  will  quarrel  over  a  trifle  and  then  for- 
give and  kiss  each  other  in  a  manner  that 
makes  an  American  seasick.  They  are  polite 
in  a  veneer,  for  they  will  lift  their  hats  and 
make  goo-goo  eyes  at  every  pretty  woman, 
and  they  will  let  an  old  woman  stand  up  in  a 
street  car.  They  are  industrious,  thrifty,  tem- 
perate, and  cheerful.  Just  because  they  look 
at  some  things  from  a  different  viewpoint  is  no 
reason  why  we  should  criticize  them,  and  yet 
they  are  so  different  from  the  neighbors  that 
I  can't  help  mentioning  a  few  things  that  are 
very  noticeable. 

The  French  Government  has  a  president, 
whose  name  few  people  know,  and  a  senate 


156  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

which  has  little  power,  and  therefore  the  main 
factor  is  the  lower  house.  This  kind  of  govern- 
ment is  a  mistake,  for  the  large  legislative 
body  rushes  from  one  extreme  to  another ; 
whenever  its  majority  changes,  the  cabinet 
resigns,  and  the  result  is  inconstancy  and  in- 
stability. Public  sentiment  is  the  controlling 
factor,  and  it  takes  an  acrobat  to  be  a  states- 
man in  France.  Sometimes  the  flippety-flop 
is  popular  in  America,  but  on  the  long  run  he 
loses.  In  France  he  is  succeeded  by  another 
just  as  good. 

The  French  are  great  lovers  of  art,  and  in  the 
Louvre  they  claim  the  largest  collection  of 
pictures  in  the  world.  They  looted  Italy  to 
get  them,  but  they  have  them.  No  living 
artist  has  a  picture  in  the  Louvre.  The  fellows 
now  on  earth  have  to  hang  their  pictures  in  the 
Salon  or  the  Luxembourg  or  some  other 
gallery,  a  sort  of  artistic  try  out,  with  the  judg- 
ing done  after  they  are  no  longer  able  to  exert 
any  personal  influence.  I  think  modern  art 
is  as  good  as  ancient  art,  or  better,  except  that 
every  modern  picture  is  not  art.  And  I  may 
add  that  in  the  Paris  Salon  the  pictures 


SOME   FRENCH   WAYS  157 

painted  by  the  artists  of  today  have  just  as 
good  color,  better  drawing  and  just  as  few 
clothes  as  the  works  of  the  old  masters  in  the 
Louvre.  I  get  along  right  well  with  the  old 
masters  until  they  paint  Mary  de  Medici  and 
Mary  the  mother  of  Christ  sitting  and  talking 
together,  and  then  I  want  to  go  outside  and 
say  a  few  things. 

But  while  Paris  is  important  in  the  world, 
politically,  historically,  and  artistically,  its 
great  distinction  nowadays  is  in  millinery  and 
dressmaking.  The  women  go  to  Paris  to  shop, 
and  the  men  go  on  account  of  the  women. 
The  men  of  Paris  are  about  the  worst  dressers 
in  the  world.  The  women  are  the  best.  The 
Parisienne  has  the  natural  ability  to  take  a 
hat  and  stick  a  feather  in  it  so  the  effect  is 
brilliant.  She  can  wear  a  dress  that  costs 
much  less  than  the  gown  of  an  English  woman 
or  an  American  woman,  and  she  can  look 
stylish  when  the  other  women  have  hard 
work  to  look  decent.  The  American  woman  is 
second,  and  in  a  few  respects,  like  shoes  and 
gloves,  she  can  beat  the  French ;  but  take  it 
all  around,  and  the  world  removes  its  hat  to 


158  A    JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

the  French  milliner.  Of  course  the  milliner 
is  often  a  man,  but  he  has  to  have  his  Parisian 
model  or  he  would  fail.  Let  M.  Worth  or 
any  of  the  other  Monsieurs  who  dictate  styles 
in  feminine  attire  go  to  London  and  he  would 
be  a  second-rater  at  once.  This  is  true, 
whether  you  want  to  believe  it  or  not,  and  the 
doubter  need  only  spend  a  few  days  on  the 
Paris  boulevards  to  be  convinced. 

There  may  be  some  who  think  that  the 
latest  development  in  costumes,  the  hobble 
skirt,  has  reached  America.  They  are  mis- 
taken. No  real  French  hobble  skirt  could  go 
down  the  street  of  an  American  city  without 
starting  a  riot.  When  one  does  get  to  the 
territory  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes  the  railroads 
will  run  excursion  trains.  The  first  day  or 
two  in  Paris  I  was  nervous  about  this  style 
of  gown.  When  I  saw  a  saucy  French  lady 
in  a  dress  which  looked  as  if  it  was  put  on  by 
a  glove-fitter,  I  felt  that  I  ought  to  blush  and 
look  at  the  statuary.  I  was  told  by  the  best 
feminine  authority  with  me  that  in  order  to 
wear  one  of  those  skirts  it  was  necessary  to 
discard  any  wearing  apparel  which  is  usually 


SOME   FRENCH   WAYS  159 

beneath  the  female  skirt.  The  poor,  pretty 
things  would  go  along  the  street  like  boys  in  a 
sack-race  trying  to  walk,  and  by  a  slit  up  one 
side  which  was  not  buttoned  for  several  feet 
from  the  bottom,  a  little  motion  was  secured. 
But  when  the  lady  crossed  the  street,  or  when 
she  climbed  to  the  top  of  a  bus  or  even  stepped 
into  a  cab,  it  was  necessary  in  order  that  she 
maintain  appearances  that  there  be  not  even 
a  hole  in  her  stocking  above  the  knee.  Of 
course  I  do  not  speak  from  personal  observa- 
tion. Far  be  it  from  me  to  watch  a  lady  cross 
the  street  or  climb  into  a  vehicle.  But  I 
knew  how  it  must  be  from  a  careless  study  of 
the  environment,  and  my  theory  was  con- 
firmed by  the  evidence  of  all  those  who  did 
not  hide  their  eyes  or  observe  the  scenery. 
And  I  will  add  that  it  is  extremely  difficult 
to  keep  the  blinders  on  while  seeing  the  sights. 
I  only  speak  of  these  matters  because  they 
are  much  more  in  evidence  in  Paris  than  are 
the  Statue  of  Liberty,  or  the  Column  of  Ven- 
dome,  or  any  of  the  great  places  that  the 
guide-books  tell  about. 

The    French    are    delightfully    "natural" 
about  many  things.     It  is  quite  the  proper 


160  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

thing  for  a  man  and  woman  to  hug  and  kiss 
each  other  in  public.  At  first  this  startled 
me  and  I  felt  that  perhaps  they  were  excited. 
But  no,  it  is  just  the  proper  way  to  manifest 
their  feelings  at  the  time.  Just  imagine  how 
it  would  be  if  the  Frenchman  across  the  table 
from  you  put  his  arm  around  the  lady  next  to 
him  and  she  snuggled  up  to  him  and  patted 
his  cheek  with  her  unengaged  hand.  I  felt  like 
getting  right  up  and  saying,  "Excuse  me.  Am 
I  intruding?"  But  I  soon  learned  that  they 
didn't  mind  us  at  all.  Their  idea  of  love  is  to 
let  go  all  holds  and  1-o-v-e.  Their  theory  of 
matrimony  is  that  it  is  an  arrangement  based 
on  family  position,  business  and  prospects. 
No  young  woman  can  get  a  husband  unless 
she  has  a  dot,  so  much  capital.  The  parents 
arrange  the  matches,  and  usually  do  so  care- 
fully and  thoughtfully.  The  girl,  who  has 
not  even  been  allowed  to  go  to  school  with  the 
boys,  has  no  idea  of  any  other  arrangement ; 
and  the  man,  who  has  never  thought  of 
matrimony  in  another  way,  considers  it  a 
part  of  his  "career." 

A  man  in  France  cannot  marry  without 
the  consent  of  his  parents  until  he  is  25  and  a 


SOME   FRENCH    WAYS  161 

woman  not  till  she  is  21.  This  law  is  strictly 
obeyed,  and  there  is  no  running  off  to  some 
other  state  where  the  rule  is  different.  I  sup- 
pose French  marriages  arranged  in  this  ap- 
parently cold-blooded  manner  by  the  parents 
turn  out  on  the  average  as  well  as  they  would 
if  they  let  the  young  people  rush  in  and 
"marry  for  love."  But  it  doesn't  seem  right 
to  us,  any  more  than  our  ways  seem  good  to 
them.  Of  course  a  Frenchman  does  not  in- 
sist that  his  "sweetheart"  shall  have  a  "dot," 
so  that  kind  of  an  arrangement  is  made  by 
the  parties  themselves.  All  of  which  seems 
very  wrong  to  English  and  Americans ;  and 
yet  the  French  prove  it  is  the  best  way  by 
using  the  divorce  figures,  for  divorce  is  prac- 
tically unknown  in  France.  The  French 
woman  is  the  business  partner  of  her  husband, 
and  necessity  makes  them  pull  together  just 
as  they  were  taught  to  do  from  their  youth  up. 
She  doesn't  belong  to  clubs  any  more  than 
her  husband  does.  She  has  a  great  deal  of 
liberty,  and  in  fact  is  often  the  head  of  the 
firm. 


In  Dover  Town 

DOVER,  ENGLAND,  August  22. 
One  of  the  strange  things  in  this  old  world 
is  a  boundary  line.  You  are  on  a  railway  in 
Germany,  hearing  no  language  but  German. 
The  train  crosses  the  imaginary  line  and  you 
hear  an  entirely  different  language,  and  if  you 
try  to  use  the  words  which  were  understood 
ten  minutes  before,  the  people  do  not  under- 
stand you.  They  are  French,  and  they  not 
only  speak  a  different  language  but  they  differ 
in  custom,  tastes  and  looks.  It  would  be  just 
like  a  traveler  from  Hutchinson  to  Kansas 
City  being  able  to  speak  and  understand  what 
people  said  at  Argentine,  but  on  arrival  at 
the  union  depot  in  Kansas  City  finding  a 
different  looking  and  different  talking  lot,  who 
could  not  understand  a  word  he  said.  And 
arriving  in  the  Kansas  City  depot  neither  un- 
derstanding nor  being  understood,  would  be 
something  of  an  ordeal,  especially  if  you  were 
trying  to  change  trains  and  make  a  sharp 
connection.  It  is  no  wonder  that  an  ordinary 

(162) 


IN   DOVER    TOWN  163 

Kansan  traveling  in  this  European  land  puts 
in  much  of  his  time  figuring  out  his  route  and 
a  lot  more  doing  it. 

Of  course  it  is  a  joy  to  arrive  in  England 
and  be  able  to  talk  and  to  understand  every- 
thing that  is  said.  Two  hours  after  we  left 
the  fish-smelly  Boulougne  I  was  quarreling  in 
right  fair  English  with  a  railroad  official  be- 
cause a  train  was  late.  In  France  we  would 
have  had  to  stand  around  and  look  pleasant, 
for  the  official  would  not  have  known  whether 
we  were  cross  about  the  train  or  the  reciprocity 
treaty.  It  often  relieves  your  mind  to  tell  a 
Frenchman  or  a  German  what  you  think  of 
him  or  his  country  in  English,  but  it  doesn't 
cause  him  any  discomfort. 

Dover  is  a  most  interesting  town,  with  a 
castle,  a  harbor,  a  garrison,  and  a  history. 
It  is  the  closest  English  port  to  France,  and 
on  a  clear  day  with  good  eyes  and  a  vivid  im- 
agination you  can  see  Calais  in  France,  21 
miles  away.  Ever  since  William  the  Con- 
queror came  over  and  did  his  conquering,  the 
English  have  kept  Dover  fortified  in  such  a 


164  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

way  that  it  would  be  difficult  for  another 
conqueror  to  follow  his  example.  The  town 
lies  along  the  shore  and  back  into  a  small 
river  valley.  The  hills,  about  300  feet  high, 
begin  at  the  water's  edge  and  go  up  very 
rapidly.  The  biggest  hill  is  on  the  east,  and 
rises  straight  up  from  the  sea  375  feet.  The 
face  of  the  cliff  is  white,  for  the  rock  forma- 
tion is  chalk,  and,  topped  with  green  trees  and 
a  big  stone  castle,  makes  a  fine  appearance 
from  the  water  or  from  the  beach.  There  is 
not  only  this  old  castle,  which  is  a  fort  with  a 
regiment  of  soldiers,  but  the  cliff  is  mined  and 
tunneled,  and  big  cannon  are  at  the  opening 
in  the  earth,  ready  to  shoot  the  stuffing  out  of 
any  hostile  fleet  or  army  which  comes  this 
way.  The  only  time  the  castle  was  ever 
captured  was  when  Cromwell  worked  some 
strategem  and  got  it  away  from  the  Royalists. 
After  looking  it  all  over  I  don't  see  how  any 
army  could  possibly  capture  Dover  castle  so 
long  as  the  defenders  stayed  awake. 

The  Romans  first  built  a  fort  here,  and  the 
remains  of  the  old  Roman  walls  are  still  a 
small  part  of  the  present  fortifications.  The 
Saxons  built  some,  then  the  Normans,  and 
after  that  various  generations  of  English, — 


IN   DOVER   TOWN  165 

so  that  the  castle  contains  specimens  of  a  lot 
of  different  styles  of  architecture.  On  the 
whole  it  is  one  of  the  most  imposing  castles  in 
Europe,  both  by  location  and  by  construction. 
This  castle  business  is  peculiar.  Sometimes 
a  little  runt  of  a  building  with  a  tower  and  a 
high  fence  is  famous  in  history  and  story  be- 
cause of  a  great  fight,  or  a  brilliant  robber 
who  lived  there.  To  the  tourist  it  is  a  dis- 
appointment. I  suppose  every  one  gets  his 
idea  of  what  a  castle  looks  like  from  the  read- 
ing done  in  his  youth.  When  I  was  a  boy  I 
thought  a  castle  must  be  a  good  deal  like  the 
court-house  at  Cottonwood  Falls,  which  is  80 
feet  high,  with  a  mansard  roof  and  a  jail  with 
barred  windows  in  the  rear.  Then  I  got  a 
larger  idea,  something  like  the  Reformatory 
at  Hutchinson.  And  when  I  came  to  per- 
sonally see  these  ancient  castles  I  have  fre- 
quently had  to  back  up  to  my  early  theories. 
Now  I  am  an  expert  in  castles,  and  can  talk 
of  them  without  admitting  to  myself  it  is  all 
guess-work.  When  we  started  up  the  Rhine 
from  Bonn  I  occupied  an  unquestioned  place 
as  an  authority,  for  I  had  been  in  the  great 
castle  country  before.  But  this  time  my  trip 
was  reversed.  To  an  admiring  company  of 


166  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

boat  acquaintances  I  pointed  out  in  the  dis- 
tance a  magnificent  castle  we  were  approach- 
ing. I  started  to  tell  the  legend  of  the  castle, 
when  it  became  apparent  that  the  structure 
was  a  cement  plant.  Then  I  was  more  care- 
ful, but  soon  located  another,  a  really  splendid 
castle  standing  off  a  little  from  the  river.  I 
would  have  gotten  through  all  right  if  some 
smart  aleck  had  not  butted  in  with  the  un- 
called for  information  that  the  building  was  a 
brewery.  But  that  is  what  a  real  castle  looks 
like,  the  Hutchinson  Reformatory,  a  cement 
plant,  or  a  brewery,  whichever  comparison 
comes  easiest  for  you  to  understand. 

Dover  was  one  of  the  "Cinque  Ports." 
Five  little  towns  along  the  coast  of  the  channel 
had  a  sort  of  organization  which  was  given 
recognition  by  the  government  under  the 
early  Norman  kings.  The  towns  were  granted 
privileges  and  relieved  from  burdens  of  tax- 
ation in  consideration  of  furnishing  ships  in 
time  of  war.  The  principal  work  of  a  navy 
at  that  time  was  to  capture  merchant  vessels, 
slug  the  crews  and  keep  the  cargoes ;  so  the 
towns  prospered  under  the  arrangement.  It 


IN  DOVER   TOWN  167 

has  been  only  a  couple  of  hundred  years  since 
there  was  a  standing  army  or  a  royal  navy. 
When  the  king  declared  war  he  issued  a  call 
and  the  lords  and  knights  responded  with 
their  men,  and  the  army  was  formed  for  the 
campaign.  If  any  of  the  nobles  got  sore  on  the 
king,  they  took  their  troops  and  went  home. 
A  navy  was  raised  in  the  same  way,  only  by 
the  towns  along  the  coast  instead  of  by  in- 
dividuals. Such  an  army  and  navy  was  not 
satisfactory,  but  the  English  parliament  re- 
fused to  furnish  money  for  a  standing  army 
until  after  the  days  of  good  Queen  Anne,  about 
200  years  ago.  Now  the  English  army  is  not 
near  as  large  as  the  armies  on  the  continent, 
but  the  English  navy  is  kept  twice  the  size 
of  any  other  navy  in  the  world.  Germany  is 
the  country  that  England  suspects  as  a  pos- 
sible enemy.  Germany  and  France  are  cross- 
ways  right  now  over  which  shall  get  the  most 
of  Morocco,  and  England  is  bound  to  stand 
by  France  in  case  of  trouble.  Morocco  isn't 
worth  anything  to  anybody,  but  it  may  cause 
a  terrible  war  between  the  most  highly  civil- 
ized nations  of  Europe.  And  yet  some  people 
are  opposed  to  arbitration  because  of  "na- 


168  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

tional  honor."  The  opponents  of  arbitration 
ought  to  come  over  to  these  poor  countries 
laboring  under  the  weight  of  big  armies  and 
navies,  and  see  how  people  are  suffering  be- 
cause of  the  foolish  feudal  notion  that  the 
way  to  decide  which  is  right  is  to  fight  it  out. 

We  ate  our  lunch  today  in  a  restaurant 
which  proudly  boasts  that  its  steps  were  the 
place  where  David  Copperfield  rested  during 
his  search  for  his  aunt,  Betsey  Trotwood. 
Little  Dorrit  lived  at  Dover,  and  the  men  and 
women  of  Dickens  land  often  visited  or  made 
their  homes  in  this  quaint  old  seaport  or  in  its 
vicinity.  Shut  your  eyes  to  the  big  cliff  and 
its  imposing  fortress,  forget  the  harbor  with 
its  ships  and  men  of  war,  quit  observing  the 
narrow  streets  and  crooked  lanes  which  run 
up  and  down  the  side  of  the  hill,  and  live  with 
the  people  that  Dickens  made  so  real  that  to 
most  of  us  they  surely  existed.  That  is  Dover, 
a  different  Dover  from  the  red-coated,  fish- 
smelling,  quaintly  architectured  place  in  which 
people  are  buying  and  selling,  and  a  Dover 
which  will  live  as  long  as  the  English  language 
is  read. 


Old  Canterbury  Today 

CANTERBURY,  ENGLAND,  August  24. 
This  little  city  of  25,000  inhabitants  is  the 
ecclesiastical  capital  of  England,  and  has  been 
for  over  a  thousand  years.  Some  time  before 
the  year  600  Queen  Bertha,  wife  of  the  Saxon 
king,  became  a  Christian  and  built  a  small 
church  in  Canterbury.  Then  when  St.  Au- 
gustine came  in  597  and  took  the  king  and  all 
his  army  into  the  church  at  one  big  baptiz- 
ing, the  king  gave  him  the  palace  and  the 
heathen  church,  and  they  were  converted  into 
a  cathedral  and  monastery.  St.  Augustine 
and  succeeding  archbishops  were  the  heads 
of  the  church  in  England,  and  when  the  Nor- 
mans came  in  1060  they  continued  the  rule. 
The  first  Norman  archbishop  began  the  con- 
struction of  the  present  cathedral,  and  as 
money  was  plenty  and  labor  cheap,  it  was 
built  magnificently.  The  Archbishop  of  Can- 
terbury received  the  title  of  Primate  of  All 
England,  and  he  wears  it  to  this  day.  The 
English  Church  is  a  government  institution, 

(169) 


170  A   JAYHAWKER   IN  EUROPE 

the  archbishop  is  a  member  of  the  House  of 
Lords,  and  the  position  is  easily  the  greatest 
in  the  Protestant  world. 

The  murder  of  Archbishop  Thomas  Becket, 
in  1170,  was  the  greatest  thing  that  ever  hap- 
pened for  Canterbury.  He  was  in  a  contro- 
versy with  King  Henry,  and  made  life  so  un- 
comfortable for  the  king  that  Henry  re- 
marked to  some  of  his  followers  that  if  he 
had  a  few  real  friends  there  would  be  no 
Thomas  Becket  to  worry  him.  Henry  was 
probably  drunk  when  he  made  this  talk,  al- 
though it  doubtless  was  an  expression  of  his 
real  feelings.  Four  of  his  knights  took  him 
at  his  word,  hiked  to  Canterbury,  and  killed 
the  archbishop  right  in  the  cathedral.  The 
murder  was  a  shock  to  Christendom.  The 
dead  archbishop  was  canonized  as  a  saint, 
and  the  people  generally  refused  to  believe 
Henry's  statement  that  he  didn't  mean  what 
he  said.  Everything  went  wrong  with  Henry, 
and  the  sacrilegious  act  was  held  responsible. 
Two  years  later  the  king  went  to  Canterbury 
and  took  a  whipping  on  his  bare  back  as  a 
penance  for  his  remarks,  and  for  years  pil- 
grims came  to  Canterbury,  miracles  were  re- 


OLD   CANTERBURY   TODAY  171 

ported  wrought  by  the  relics,  and  the  cathe- 
dral and  Canterbury  got  rich  from  the  pil- 
grim business  and  the  valuable  gifts  showered 
upon  the  shrine  of  St.  Thomas. 

It  is  customary  to  consider  Thomas  Becket 
a  martyr  to  the  cause  of  liberty  and  to  in- 
dulge in  great  eulogy  of  him  as  a  saint.  But 
he  was  really  a  plain  man  like  the  rest  of  us. 
His  trouble  with  the  king  came  because  Henry 
wanted  to  recognize  some  other  bishops,  and 
Thomas,  who  was  proud  and  stubborn, 
claimed  that  he  alone  had  the  power.  It 
was  really  a  conflict  of  authority  between 
the  church  and  the  state,  and  a  good  deal  to 
be  said  on  both  sides.  Thomas  abused  the 
king  viciously  and  had  several  bishops  ex- 
communicated because  they  agreed  with 
Henry.  He  also  threatened  the  king,  and 
the  disagreement  was  all  over  jobs  and  money. 
Those  were  tough  times,  and  the  usual  way 
to  get  rid  of  an  enemy  was  to  kill  him  if  you 
could.  Unfortunately  for  Henry,  his  self- 
appointed  friends  did  a  bungling  job,  Thomas 
became  a  saint,  and  the  king  had  to  concede 
to  the  church  all  the  privileges  that  had  been 


172  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

claimed.  Three  hundred  years  later  King 
Henry  the  Eighth,  in  order  to  secure  a  divorce 
and  a  new  queen,  overthrew  the  authority  of 
the  church,  made  himself  the  head  of  it,  and 
incidentally  sent  to  Canterbury,  took  all  the 
valuables  that  had  been  placed  on  the  shrine 
of  St.  Thomas,  and  put  them  in  the  national 
treasury,  that  is,  his  own  pocket. 

But  during  that  300  years  the  supremacy 
of  Canterbury  as  the  religious  head  of  the 
nation  became  fixed.  The  archbishops  gener- 
ally had  to  go  into  politics,  many  of  them 
achieved  greatness,  and  some  were  executed 
publicly.  The  cathedral  was  added  to,  "re- 
stored," improved,  and  is  now  one  of  the  very 
finest  cathedrals  in  Europe.  To  an  English- 
man or  an  American  it  is  more  interesting 
than  any  other  church  in  England,  except 
perhaps  Westminster  Abbey.  It  has  speci- 
mens of  all  kinds  of  architecture  in  its  differ- 
ent parts,  but  they  have  been  so  harmoniously 
put  together  that  the  edifice  is  imposing  on 
the  outside  and  most  impressive  on  the  in- 
side. 


OLD    CANTERBURY   TODAY  173 

Canterbury  itself  is  a  sleepy  old  town,  very 
full  of  quaint  houses  and  with  plenty  of  tra- 
dition to  make  things  interesting.  Chaucer, 
Dickens,  Thackeray  and  other  English  writ- 
ers have  woven  Canterbury  into  their  stories, 
and  on  every  side  you  are  shown  the  places 
where  heroes  and  heroines  of  fiction  made 
their  homes.  But  this  week  Canterbury  is 
busy.  The  last  game  of  the  cricket  season 
is  being  played,  and  Canterbury  is  as  crazy 
over  cricket  as  Hutchinson  was  over  baseball 
when  in  the  Western  Association.  The  cricket 
association  of  England  is  made  up  of  the  coun- 
ties, and  I  had  the  opportunity  of  seeing  the 
game  between  Kent  and  Yorkshire.  Fully 
ten  thousand  people  attended,  and  I  suppose 
they  enjoyed  the  game,  though  English  cricket 
is  as  tame  to  an  American  as  the  moo  of  a 
cow  would  seem  to  a  roaring  lion,  or  as  spring- 
water  lemonade  would  taste  to  a  colonel  from 
Kentucky.  The  game  began  at  10  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  with  Yorkshire,  the  visit- 
ing team,  at  the  bat.  At  one  o'clock  the 
Yorks  were  put  out  after  making  75  runs. 
Then  there  was  lunch,  and  the  crowd  stayed 
on  the  field  and  under  the  trees  for  what 


174  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

looked  to  me  like  a  harvest  home  picnic  in 
Kansas.  At  2  o'clock  play  was  resumed,  and 
continued  till  4  o'clock,  when  the  game 
stopped  for  the  players  and  spectators  to 
have  tea.  Yes,  tea!  Imagine  an  American 
ball  game  suspended  for  a  half-hour  while 
the  ball-players  enjoyed  tea  and  sandwiches! 
It  was  too  much  for  me.  I  saw  the  last  half 
of  the  first  inning  would  not  be  ended  in  one 
day,  so  I  quit  the  cricketers  and  their  tea 
and  went  off  to  look  at  an  old  church,  which 
was  more  exciting. 

There  are  some  peculiarities  about  cricket 
when  viewed  from  an  American  standpoint. 
The  association  or  league  corresponds  very 
well  to  our  National  or  American  League. 
A  club  of  eleven  men  may  be  all  professionals, 
or,  as  is  usually  the  case,  some  may  be  ama- 
teurs. A  professional  is  a  player  who  is  paid, 
and  on  the  score  his  name  appears  without 
prefix,  just  "Brown."  But  if  he  is  an  ama- 
teur and  plays  without  pay,  his  name  is  on 
the  score  card  "J.  M.  Brown,  Esq."  He  is 
then  called  a  "gentleman  player."  The  game 
usually  lasts  two  days.  The  side  that  is  in 


OLD   CANTERBURY   TODAY  175 

stays  in  until  ten  men  are  put  out.  The 
pitcher  or  bowler  tries  to  hit  the  wicket,  three 
little  posts  that  stand  like  our  baseball  home 
plate,  and  if  he  does,  the  batter  is  out.  The 
batter,  or  in  English  the  batsman,  defends 
the  "wicket,"  and  when  he  hits  the  ball  far 
enough  runs  to  the  other  wicket,  which  is 
located  at  the  pitcher's  box.  If  he  knocks  a 
fly  and  it  is  caught  he  is  out,  or  if  a  fielder 
gets  the  ball  and  hits  the  wicket  while  he  is 
running,  he  is  out.  Two  batsmen  are  up  at 
a  time,  and  a  man  may  make  a  lot  of  runs. 
I  saw  Woolley,  the  pride  of  Kent,  score  56 
runs,  and  players  often  exceed  the  hundred 
mark.  If  the  game  is  not  finished  in  three 
days  it  is  declared  off. 

The  crowd  was  quiet  and  ladylike.  Occa- 
sionally they  would  applaud  and  say  "Well 
bowled,  sir,"  but  they  did  not  tell  the  umpire 
he  was  rotten  and  they  never  urged  the  visit- 
ing club  to  warm  up  another  pitcher.  Not  a 
word  was  said  by  the  players,  not  a  pop- 
bottle  was  thrown,  nobody  was  benched  and 
there  was  never  a  thought  of  such  a  thing. 
The  English  are  better  sportsmen  than  we 


176  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

are,  and  they  applaud  a  good  play  by  a  vis- 
itor. A  man  who  tried  to  rattle  the  bowler 
by  screaming  that  his  arm  was  glass,  would 
be  arrested  and  probably  hung. 

Besides  the  cathedral,  the  quaint  buildings 
and  the  cricket,  Canterbury  also  offered  an 
opportunity  to  see  the  moving  pictures  of  the 
Jeffries-Johnson  prize  fight  in  a  theater  next 
to  the  church.  Of  course  I  did  not  go.  I 
told  several  Englishmen  that  in  America  we 
considered  these  pictures  degrading,  and  as 
between  the  fight  pictures  and  the  cathedral 
I  preferred  the  cathedral.  Besides,  I  had  seen 
the  fight  pictures  before. 

Another  very  interesting  church  in  Canter- 
bury is  St.  Martin's,  a  little  one,  but  con- 
sidered the  mother  church  of  England.  It 
is  said  to  be  the  one  erected  for  Queen  Bertha 
before  her  Saxon  husband,  Ethelbert,  was 
converted.  This  was  prior  to  600.  It  is  on 
a  foundation  which  was  used  for  a  Roman 
temple.  Within  the  church  is  a  big  stone 
font  said  to  have  been  used  for  the  baptizing 
of  Ethelbert.  There  is  little  doubt  but  that 


OLD    CANTERBURY   TODAY  177 

the  history  of  St.  Martin's  is  clear  and  it  is 
the  oldest  Christian  church  in  all  England. 

Associating  with  old  cathedrals  and  Saxon 
churches  makes  one  feel  a  few  thrills.  Even 
the  inn  where  Chaucer  put  up  his  pilgrims 
seems  modern.  But  cricket  and  the  prize- 
fight pictures  make  up  a  sort  of  balance,  and 
second-hand  shops  with  wonderful  salesmen 
bring  one  back  to  the  20th  century.  Canter- 
bury has  a  famous  brewery  which  is  better 
patronized  locally  than  is  the  cathedral,  and 
farmers  are  in  town  trying  to  get  hop-pickers 
just  like  Kansas  farmers  after  hands  in  har- 
vest-time. If  St.  Thomas  could  come  back 
and  see  the  automobiles  running  around  his 
old  monastery,  notice  the  electric  lights  in 
the  cathedral  crypt,  observe  the  American 
tourists  with  their  guidebooks  and  their  gall, 
he  would  probably  have  some  thrills  himself. 


The  English  Strike 

LONDON,  August  28. 

There  was  a  great  strike  of  railway  men  in 
England  last  week,  the  news  of  which  was 
sent  over  the  world.  As  a  subject  of  con- 
versation and  discussion  it  has  taken  the 
place  of  ordinary  sights  and  tourist  stunts. 
A  very  large  per  cent  of  the  railway  employes 
went  out,  there  was  rioting  in  several  places, 
the  soldiers  were  called  upon,  there  was  almost 
war  in  spots,  and  several  people,  innocent  by- 
standers usually,  were  killed.  The  govern- 
ment secured  a  cessation  of  the  strike  by 
getting  men  and  managers  to  agree  to  sub- 
mit the  differences  to  a  national  commission 
and  be  bound  by  it — an  agreement  both  sides 
will  break  if  it  does  not  suit  them.  A  rail- 
road strike  is  a  most  serious  thing  in  England, 
for  in  London  and  the  manufacturing  centers 
the  people  depend  on  the  railroads  to  bring 
in  their  provisions,  and  as  ice  is  almost  un- 
known very  few  shops  have  more  than  a  day's 
supply  of  meats,  fish  and  fresh  eatables  on 

(178) 


THE    ENGLISH    STRIKE  179 

hand.  So  the  strike  was  pinching  millions  of 
people  who  had  no  personal  interest  in  its 
result. 

If  I  were  a  railroad  employe  in  England 
I  would  strike,  or  at  least  I'd  strike  out  for 
America  or  some  other  land  where  a  man  has 
a  show.  Railroad  men  are  not  well  paid  in 
England,  rather  worse  than  other  working- 
men.  Engineers,  or  drivers  as  they  are  called, 
rarely  get  to  exceed  30  to  35  shillings  a  week 
(seven  to  nine  dollars).  Firemen,  switch- 
men, baggagemen,  station-men,  operators, 
conductors  and  brakemen  get  from  20  shill- 
ings to  35  shillings  a  week  (five  to  nine  dol- 
lars). And  yet  both  passenger  fares  and 
freight  charges  are  higher  in  England  than  in 
Kansas.  In  discussing  the  subject  with  an 
educated  Englishman  I  complained  that  a 
man  with  a  family  could  not  live  on  these 
wages.  "Yes,  but  they  do,"  he  said;  "but 
the  family  doesn't  get  meat  every  day — and 
the  family  doesn't  need  meat  every  day."  I 
argued  on,  that  a  man  can't  buy  a  home,  or 
save  anything  for  trouble  or  old  age.  "  That's 
true,"  he  said,  "and  it  is  unfortunate.  But 
his  children  won't  let  him  starve,  and  there 


180  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

is  some  light  job  he  can  do  to  help  out.  The 
government  is  now  preparing  a  plan  for  the 
pensioning  of  old  people.  When  that  law  is 
working,  a  man  won't  have  to  worry  about 
the  future." 

Which  is  a  rotten  theory.  It  merely  means 
that  with  the  prospect  of  a  pension  of  less 
than  two  dollars  a  week  an  English  laborer 
can  be  kept  working  at  the  present  low  stand- 
ard. I  am  for  the  old-age  pension,  but  I  am 
for  the  proper  payment  of  a  workingman  while 
he  is  at  the  age  to  enjoy  life.  This  beautiful 
England  with  its  castles  and  palaces  and  pic- 
ture galleries  and  great  history  is  far  behind 
every  other  nation  in  its  treatment  of  the 
workingman,  and  consequently  England  is 
now  sitting  on  a  keg  of  dynamite  which  is 
likely  to  explode.  Once  get  it  out  of  the 
heads  of  the  English  workmen  that  they  have 
to  submit  to  these  things  and  these  wages 
because  their  fathers  did,  and  that  it  is  a 
great  blessing  to  have  a  king  and  lords,  and 
the  English  workingmen  will  raise  Hades 
with  the  present  political  and  social  conditions 
in  merry  England.  It  seems  to  me  that  the 
time  is  not  far  distant  when  the  explosion 


THE   ENGLISH    STRIKE  181 

will  take  place.  Only  very  skillful  manage- 
ment on  the  part  of  the  English  statesmen 
and  the  very  conservative  habits  of  thought 
of  the  English  people  prevented  most  serious 
trouble  last  week. 

An  English  workman  usually  has  a  large 
family,  and  the  only  way  they  can  keep  from 
going  hungry  or  to  the  poorhouse  is  for  the 
whole  family  to  work  and  mother  and  children 
earn  money  to  put  into  the  common  treasury. 
Meat,  vegetables,  fruit,  everything  to  eat, 
costs  more  in  England  than  it  does  in  Kansas. 
Rent  is  less,  but  our  workmen  wouldn't  live 
as  these  have  to.  Clothing  is  cheaper  in 
some  respects  and  dearer  in  others.  But  the 
item  is  small  with  an  English  workman.  You 
can  see  that  after  he  pays  rent  and  buys  food 
he  has  very  little  left  for  wearing  apparel,  so 
father  wears  his  suit  until  it  is  worn  out, 
mother  gets  along  on  second-hand  clothing, 
which  is  generally  used,  and  the  children  have 
a  cheaper  grade  and  little  of  it. 

I  am  not  knocking  on  the  English.  This 
condition  which  seems  so  distressing  to  me  is 
a  product  of  their  conditions  and  is  not  the 


182  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE." 

deliberate  purpose  of  the  people.  I  think  it 
comes  from  the  conservatism  of  the  English 
character,  and  also  from  the  fact  that  the 
English  workman  competes  against  the  world. 
English  manufactures  and  commerce  have 
been  built  up  because  in  England  labor  is  in- 
telligent, high-class,  and  cheap.  I  can  have 
a  tailor-made  suit  of  clothes  for  twelve  dol- 
lars in  London.  That's  fine  for  me,  but  how 
is  it  for  the  tailor?  And  it  doesn't  help  the 
other  English  workingman,  for  he  does  not 
have  the  twelve.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
ability  of  the  American  workman  to  buy  has 
brought  it  to  pass  that  he  can  get  just  as  good 
a  suit,  better  fitted  and  better  looking,  at  a 
Hutchinson  clothing  store  for  twelve  to  fifteen 
dollars, — and  he  has  the  money  and  buys! 
There  is  going  to  be  some  discussion  of  cloth- 
ing and  the  woolen  schedule  in  the  United 
States,  and  I  want  to  put  in  this  testimony. 
Before  I  left  home  I  bought  a  suit  in  Hutchin- 
son for  fifteen  dollars.  No  English  tailor- 
made  suit  for  that  price  looks  near  so  well, 
and  the  way  it  fits  and  hangs  is  complimented 
by  the  English.  The  only  kind  of  stuff  that 
is  cheaper  in  England  than  with  us  is  that 


THE   ENGLISH   STRIKE  183 

in  which  hand  labor  is  employed.  Women 
buy  laces  because  they  are  made  by  intelli- 
gent working-women  who  are  paid  25  to  50 
cents  a  day.  Silk  hats  are  cheaper,  but  the 
same  quality  hat  I  buy  at  home  cost  me  just 
as  much  in  London,  and  shirts,  underwear, 
sox,  etc.,  are  as  expensive  here  as  in  Hutch- 
inson.  I  am  told  the  same  rule  applies  to 
women's  clothes.  Americans  who  come  to 
England  and  continue  to  live  on  the  same 
standard  they  do  in  America  say  that  living 
is  more  expensive  here.  Of  course  they  can 
have  three  or  four  servants  for  the  same  price 
they  paid  the  one  hired  girl  at  home,  and  can 
pose  as  being  "upper  class." 

I  went  to  a  barber  shop,  a  first-class  one. 
I  was  shaved  for  a  "tuppence"  (four  Ameri- 
can cents)  and  had  my  hair  cut  for  a  "trip- 
pence"  (six  American  cents).  I  gave  the  bar- 
ber a  tip  of  a  penny,  for  which  he  was  very 
thankful,  and  then  I  went  out  of  the  shop 
growling  at  a  country  where  I  could  get 
shaved  so  cheaply  and  where  a  tailor-made 
suit  cost  only  $12.  In  this  world  of  ours  we 
are  so  dependent  on  one  another  that  you  can't 


184  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

cheapen  one  man  without  cheapening  all  the 
rest.  I  asked  the  street-car  conductor  and 
he  told  me  he  was  paid  five  dollars  a  week — 
and  he  has  a  family  of  six.  The  chamber- 
maid at  the  hotel  works  for  a  dollar  a  week 
and  board.  A  good  coachman  or  a  house- 
man gets  one  to  two  dollars  a  week  and  board. 
A  clerk  in  a  store  does  well  to  beat  five  dol- 
lars a  week.  How  do  they  live?  I  don't 
know,  but  they  do ;  but  they  have  all  heard 
of  America  and  Canada  and  Australia,  and 
would  go  there  if  they  could  raise  the  fare,  or 
if  it  were  not  for  leaving  family  and  home. 

I  am  getting  away  from  the  strike  subject. 
I  make  myself  unpopular  with  some  of  the 
English,  the  wealthier  people  and  their  foot- 
men, by  insisting  that  the  railroad  men  ought 
to  strike  and  ought  to  have  their  wages 
doubled,  when  I  have  to  pay  more  than  two 
cents  a  mile  for  a  second-class  fare,  and  about 
twice  as  much  for  shipping  freight  as  I  would 
in  Kansas.  And  I  always  compare  with  Kan- 
sas, a  place  most  of  them  never  heard  of, 
and  I  suppose  they  think  I  am  describing  a 


THE   ENGLISH    STRIKE  185 

fictitious  land  where  the  millennium  has  al- 
ready arrived. 

We  spent  an  afternoon  at  Richmond,  where 
high  hills  rise  from  the  valley  of  the  Thames 
and  the  view  of  English  farm  and  village, 
river  and  forest,  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the 
world.  Far  away  in  the  distance  is  Windsor 
Castle,  the  favorite  royal  dwelling-place,  the 
Thames  like  a  silver  streak  dotted  with  boats 
and  wooded  islands,  quaint  towns  with  old 
churches,  and  winding  roads  white  with  the 
macadam  of  chalky  stone,  occasional  tram- 
ways, busses  with  the  passengers  on  top,  gar- 
dens and  orchards,  little  strips  of  pasture 
with  sheep  and  cows,  fences  of  hedges  and 
ivy-covered  walls, — all  of  these  things  are  a 
panorama  which  make  the  breath  come  fast, 
the  heart  beat  more  rapidly.  The  ground 
is  historic,  for  it  has  been  the  living-place 
and  fighting-place  of  great  men  from  the  time 
of  the  Saxons,  and  every  town  and  hill  is 
like  a  page  of  English  history.  Beautiful 
homes  adorn  the  hillside  and  comfortable 
inns  offer  entertainment  to  the  traveler  and 
the  visitor.  It  is  a  great  picture,  and  artists 


186  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

have  copied  it  onto  their  canvases.  Turner 
and  Gainsborough  lived  here,  and  their  pic- 
tures of  English  scenery  are  more  beautiful 
than  their  conceptions  of  saints  and  their 
portraits  of  sinners.  Here  is  where  good  King 
Edward,  the  most  popular  monarch  England 
has  had  in  many  years,  came  for  a  view  and 
a  night  out.  In  the  road-house  on  the  height 
is  the  place  where  Lilly  Langtry  achieved  fame 
by  slipping  a  chunk  of  ice  down  the  back  of 
Edward's  princely  neck. 

We  had  lunch  at  The  Boar's  Head  and  took 
tea  at  The  Red  Dog,  two  of  the  many  tav- 
erns which  show  the  English  taste  in  names 
is  just  the  same  now  as  it  was  when  Pickwick 
traveled  and  motor  cars  were  unknown. 


Englishman  the  Great 

LONDON,  August  31. 

London  is  easily  the  capital  of  the  world. 
As  much  as  every  other  large  nation  might 
argue  the  question,  there  is  general  accept- 
ance of  the  fact  that  Great  Britain  is  the 
greatest  force  politically.  The  English  navy, 
superior  in  size  and  quality  to  any  other  two 
navies,  the  English  commerce  which  goes  un- 
der the  English  flag  to  the  furthermost  parts, 
the  great  English  colonies  (almost  independ- 
ent states)  Canada  and  Australia,  the  rich 
English  possessions  like  India  and  South 
Africa,  the  English  "spheres  of  influence" 
like  Egypt  and  Persia,  and  the  supremacy  of 
English  capital  and  banking  methods, — all  of 
these  and  the  capable,  self-possessed,  edu- 
cated English  manhood  and  womanhood  have 
made  the  power  of  Great  Britain  foremost 
among  the  nations.  And  London  is  not  only 
the  political  capital  of  England  and  its  de- 
pendencies, but  it  is  the  capital  in  business, 
books,  art,  fashion,  science,  and  money.  The 

(187) 


188  A   JAYHAWKER   IN    EUROPE 

wealth  and  the  literature  and  the  commerce 
of  the  world  depend  on  the  judgment  of  Lon- 
don. The  very  thought  of  the  power  thus 
included  is  impressive.  I  walked  down 
Threadneedle  street  and  Lombard  street,  each 
about  as  large  as  an  alley  in  Hutchinson,  and 
thought  of  the  millions  and  millions  of  money 
and  capital  which  those  plain  buildings  con- 
tained, and  of  the  power  which  the  men  within 
them  possessed.  Then  I  thought  of  the  eight 
million  people  of  London,  moving  around  like 
ants  in  a  hill,  and  the  size,  the  activity,  and 
the  never-ending  motion,  brought  most  forci- 
bly to  mind  how  insignificant  is  one  man, 
especially  if  he  is  from  Kansas  and  doesn't 
know  a  soul  in  all  that  aggregation. 

But  there  is  one  part  of  London  in  which 
all  English-speaking  people  have  a  part — the 
London  of  history,  of  Dickens,  Thackeray, 
Johnson,  Shakespeare  and  those  men  whose 
names  are  living  long  after  the  money-lender 
and  the  broker  are  forgotten.  A  little  way 
from  the  Bank  and  the  bankers  is  the  old 
Curiosity  Shop,  the  Cheshire  Cheese,  the 
Cock,  the  Temple  Courts,  and  hundreds  of 


SEEING  LONDON  FROM  THE  OLD  ENGLISH  BUS 


ENGLISHMAN   THE   GREAT  189 

names  familiar  to  every  reader  of  English 
literature,  and  instead  of  being  lonesome  and 
oppressed  by  the  weight  of  the  millions  of 
people  and  money,  I  felt  that  I  had  met  old 
friends,  and  that  Little  Dorrit,  or  David  Cop- 
perfield,  or  Samuel  Johnson,  or  Pendennis, 
or  Oliver  Twist  or  some  other  acquaintance 
whom  I  knew  very  well  was  expected  every 
minute.  That  is  the  great  beauty  of  being 
an  American  in  London,  for  all  of  the  history 
and  literature  that  have  centered  here  is  ours 
as  well  as  our  English  cousins'. 

The  hansom  cab  and  the  old  omnibus  are 
disappearing  before  the  taxi  and  the  motor- 
bus.  It  is  a  shame,  but  the  world  will  move 
on.  Every  Englishman  or  traveler  remem- 
bers the  London  cab,  with  its  two  wheels  and 
hood-shaped  carriage,  and  the  driver  up  be- 
hind. There  are  still  a  few,  but  the  taxis  are 
faster,  and  the  London  cab  horse  will  soon 
be  freed.  So  it  is  with  the  old  bus,  drawn  by 
two  good  horses  and  driven  by  an  expert 
driver  who  knew  all  of  the  history  and  ro- 
mance of  the  buildings  along  the  route,  and 
who  would  impart  said  information  with  dec- 


190  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

orations  and  embellishments  to  the  traveler 
with  a  sixpence.  All  of  this  so-called  progress, 
the  motor  cars  and  the  wider  streets,  are 
doubtless  more  efficient  and  more  sanitary, 
but  they  are  not  near  so  picturesque  or  in- 
teresting. The  taxicabs  go  through  the  Lon- 
don crowds,  the  jam  of  vehicles  and  the  con- 
gestion of  traffic  at  a  speed  that  would  not 
be  tolerated  in  a  small  town  in  Kansas.  The 
policeman  stands  on  the  corner  and  regulates 
the  moving  mass,  but  apparently  there  is  no 
speed  limit,  only  punishment  for  bad  driving. 
The  motor-driver  who  runs  over  a  man  is 
severely  punished,  and  that  makes  him  care- 
ful. The  rule  works  well,  but  not  quite  so 
well  as  the  one  in  Paris,  which  punishes  the 
pedestrian  who  gets  in  the  way  of  the  motor 
car. 

Next  to  the  wages  problem  is  the  land  prob- 
lem in  England.  Three  or  four  men  own  half 
the  real  estate  in  London.  Their  ancestors 
got  it  in  a  fairly  legitimate  way  when  it  was 
outlying  country,  and  now  it  is  the  heart  of 
a  great  city.  The  English  law  of  heredity 
keeps  the  estate  together.  The  English  land 


ENGLISHMAN  THE   GREAT  191 

conditions  are  the  worst  I  know  of  in  any 
nation  in  the  world.  The  rich  old  dukes  who 
own  so  much  of  London  cannot  be  pried  loose 
from  their  holdings,  and  the  actual  residents 
cannot  buy  their  homes  or  their  business 
houses.  The  proprietor  usually  leases  for  99 
years,  but  every  improvement  goes  to  him 
eventually;  he  will  do  nothing  himself,  and 
the  renter  pays  the  taxes.  On  Piccadilly 
street,  in  the  center  of  the  fashionable  resi- 
dence and  shop  district,  the  Marquis  of  Land- 
sup,  or  some  such  title,  has  a  park  of  twenty 
acres  which  is  surrounded  by  a  high  stone 
wall.  It  is  a  pretty  park,  but  the  owner's 
family  is  there  only  a  couple  of  months  in 
the  year  when  the  weather  is  cold  and  the 
park  is  not  usable.  The  rest  of  the  time  no 
one  but  servants  and  caretakers  occupy  that 
beautiful  tract,  with  the  city  all  around  it. 
And  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of 
people  are  walking  the  streets  or  living  in 
miserable  tenements.  I  suspect  I'd  be  a  So- 
cialist if  I  stayed  long  in  London  and  thought 
much  about  such  things  as  this.  With  all 
their  brain  and  intellect  the  English  states- 
men have  not  solved  the  land  problem  in 


192  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

England,  and  they  never  will  solve  it  until 
they  upset  the  table. 

It  is  a  great  thing  to  be  able  to  speak  the 
language  and  not  have  to  rely  so  much  on 
holding  up  your  fingers  and  making  faces. 
We  have  been  for  so  many  weeks  among  the 
Dutch  and  the  French  that  it  is  a  positive 
pleasure  to  just  listen  to  the  conversation 
around  us  and  know  that  we  can  understand. 
A  little  knowledge  of  a  foreign  tongue  leads 
to  many  mistakes.  I  heard  a  Frenchman  in 
a  London  hotel  giving  an  account  of  his  day's 
experience  to  an  English  lady.  Among  other 
things  he  said  he  went  to  a  linen  store  and 
left  an  order  for  table  linen,  and  added,  "and 
I  will  have  my  entrails  on  it."  Of  course  he 
meant  his  initials,  but  he  had  been  careless 
with  his  dictionary.  And  yet  it  is  very  hard 
for  us  to  understand  the  ordinary  London 
cab-driver  or  workman.  His  accent  is  so 
different  that  it  is  almost  like  another  lan- 
guage. And  even  an  educated  Englishman 
will  give  you  a  direction  like  this:  "Go  to 
the  next  turning  on  the  left,  bear  a  bit  to  the 
right  until  you  get  to  the  top  of  the  street." 


ENGLISHMAN  THE  GREAT  193 

Which  means  in  American  go  to  the  next 
corner,  turn  to  the  left,  then  a  little  to  the 
right  to  the  end  of  the  street.  I  never  can 
understand  why  the  English  people  generally 
murder  their  language  as  they  do.  But  per- 
haps I  am  like  the  little  American  girl  I  met 
in  Germany.  She  had  learned  German  at 
home,  and  I  asked  her  how  she  got  along  in 
Berlin.  "Not  very  well,"  she  said,  "they 
talk  such  bad  German." 

The  transportation  in  the  center  of  London 
is  confined  entirely  to  busses  and  cabs.  There 
is  too  much  traffic  and  the  streets  are  too 
narrow  for  street  railways.  In  the  outer  parts 
of  the  city  a  number  of  street  cars,  or  "trams" 
as  they  are  called,  are  operated.  Every  bus 
and  every  tram  has  seats  on  the  roof,  and  they 
are  the  choice  seats  on  the  vehicle.  From  one 
of  these  top  seats  is  the  place  to  see  London, 
and  the  traveler  has  the  advantage  of  not 
only  being  able  to  note  the  sights  on  the  pave- 
ment and  the  walks,  but  he  can  look  in  the 
second-story  windows  and  see  how  people  live. 
There  are  no  great  skyscrapers  in  London,  the 
business  houses  usually  being  six  stories  or 


1&4  A   JAYHAWKER  IN  EUROPE 

less  in  height.  The  residences  are  nearly  al- 
ways three  or  four  stories,  and  either  built 
flush  to  the  street,  with  a  garden  or  court  in 
the  rear,  or  back  from  the  street  and  the  yard 
inclosed  by  a  high  stone  wall.  The  English- 
man goes  on  the  old  principle  that  an  Eng- 
lishman's house  is  his  castle,  and  puts  up 
high  walls  between  himself  and  his  neighbors. 
A  front  porch,  or  an  open  lawn  in  front  of  a 
private  house,  would  be  regarded  as  freakish 
or  an  evidence  of  insanity.  On  the  other 
hand,  there  are  many  public  parks  and  pretty 
green  squares  in  London  which  are  breathing- 
spots  for  the  congestion  of  humanity  within 
this  great  city. 

The  "City  of  London"  which  has  a  Lord 
Mayor  is  the  little  old  city  which  is  the  hub 
of  the  whole  business.  It  is  the  section  of  the 
banks  and  the  great  institutions  of  finance, 
and  is  about  the  size  of  Hutchinson,  but  a 
solid  mass  of  stone  structures  and  narrow 
streets.  Only  about  30,000  people  reside 
there.  The  London  of  the  present  is  London 
County,  covers  about  900  square  miles  and 
is  therefore  about  the  size  of  Reno  county. 
That  is  the  area  in  which  8,000,000  people 


ENGLISHMAN   THE   GREAT  195 

live.  It  is  governed  by  a  County  Council, 
elected  by  the  taxpayers,  which  is  a  very 
active  body  and  is  doing  much  to  improve 
the  conditions.  London  has  fine  water  and 
visitors  are  even  urged  to  drink  it — some- 
thing new  in  Europe.  Taxes,  or  "rates"  as 
they  are  called,  are  high,  and  include  every- 
thing from  real  estate  and  personal  to  income 
tax  and  a  stamp  tax  on  receipts  and  drafts. 
The  great  problem  of  improving  a  city  is  to 
get  the  money  without  distressing  the  people. 
It  requires  large  sums  to  make  and  care  for 
parks,  streets,  schools,  paving,  water-works, 
light,  and  the  other  things  that  the  city  must 
have  in  order  to  be  modern,  healthful,  and 
comfortable.  The  citizens  everywhere  groan 
under  the  weight  of  taxation,  and  yet  they 
should  not  if  the  money  is  properly  spent. 
These  streets,  police,  schools,  fire  departments 
and  such  are  as  necessary  as  the  walls  of  our 
homes,  which  also  require  money  to  build 
and  maintain.  The  certainty  of  death  and 
taxes  is  proverbial.  There  is  no  way  to  avoid 
the  former  and  the  only  \vay  to  dodge  taxes 
is  to  go  to  an  uninhabited  island  and  live 
by  yourself.  And  then  if  some  other  indi- 


196  A  JAYHAWKEH  IN  EUROPE 

vidual  comes  along,  the  first  thing  the  orig- 
inal tax-dodger  will  do  is  to  tax  the  other 
fellow. 

The  ordinary  English  home  has  the  front 
room  of  the  house  for  the  dining-room.  The 
"drawing-room"  is  at  the  rear  and  the 
kitchen  quite  a  distance  from  the  dining-room. 
The  drawing-room  is  used  only  on  special 
occasions  and  the  dining-room  is  the  family 
living-room.  The  English  are  great  home- 
makers,  and  their  houses  are  always  well  fur- 
nished and  look  as  if  folks  lived  there.  On  the 
continent  the  fashion  is  to  go  out  for  the  even- 
ing meal  to  restaurant  or  cafe,  but  the  Eng- 
lishman comes  home  and  stays  there.  The 
table  is  spread  with  the  family  and  intimate 
friends  around,  and  supper  is  served  at  8 
o'clock  or  later.  You  see  the  Englishman  has 
already  had  three  meals — breakfast,  luncheon, 
and  tea ;  so  the  evening  meal  is  late.  To  me 
the  most  attractive  part  of  English  life  is 
that  in  the  home.  The  Englishman  gathers 
his  family  about  him,  pulls  down  the  blinds, 
reads  his  newspaper  and  is  in  his  castle,  which 
no  lord  or  duke  can  enter  without  his  consent. 


ENGLISHMAN   THE   GREAT  197 

This  simple  virtue  of  home-living  is  rare  in 
Europe,  and  in  the  family  circle  which  gathers 
at  the  table  and  at  the  altar  the  young  Eng- 
lishman gets  the  habit  of  thought  and  man- 
ner which  marks  him  wherever  he  goes,  and 
which  has  made  his  country  the  greatest  of 
all  the  nations. 


The  North  of  Ireland 

LONDONDERRY,  IRELAND,  September  8. 
Crossing  the  Irish  Sea  from  Fishguard  in 
southern  Wales  to  Rosslare  in  southern  Ire- 
land, I  met  a  jolly  Irishman  from  Cork.  When 
I  told  him  I  was  going  to  the  North  of  Ireland 
he  remonstrated.  "Don't  do  it,  mon.  Every 
Irishman  up  there  is  a  Scotchman!"  But  I 
had  seen  the  beautiful  South  of  Ireland  and 
we  had  to  come  to  Londonderry  to  take  the 
ship  for  home,  so  the  warning  of  the  Corker 
was  in  vain.  I  found  that  he  was  right.  Soon 
after  we  left  Dublin  we  came  upon  linen 
factories  and  distilleries  and  Presbyterian 
churches,  people  too  busy  to  jolly  a  stranger, 
and  cannily  seeking  the  surest  way  to  a  six- 
pence. In  the  South  of  Ireland  no  one  is  too 
busy  to  talk  with  the  stranger  and  to  tell  him 
all  the  legendary  lore  of  the  country,  while 
in  the  North  one  shrinks  from  stopping  the 
busy  worker,  even  to  ask  him  which  way  is 
straight  up.  The  people  of  both  ends  of  Ire- 
land are  pleasant  and  the  American  dollar  is 

(198) 


THE  NORTH   OF  IRELAND  199 

greatly  admired,  but  the  process  of  extracting 
it  is  painless,  even  pleasant,  in  Cork,  while  it 
hurts  enough  to  notice  in  Belfast.  The  South 
is  almost  entirely  agricultural  and  is  social, 
while  the  North  is  filled  with  factories  and 
notices  not  to  allow  your  heads  to  stick  out  of 
the  windows.  The  people  of  the  South  are 
poorer  but  happier ;  the  people  of  the  North 
are  busier  and  more  worried  in  their  looks. 
The  Irishman  in  the  South  smiles  pleasantly 
without  an  apparent  thought  of  the  money  he 
is  going  to  make,  the  Irishman  in  the  North 
smiles  after  he  gets  the  money. 

All  of  this  Emerald  isle  is  green,  and  pic- 
turesque scenery  with  lakes  and  falls,  glens 
and  fields,  rugged  coasts  and  beautiful  beaches 
is  to  be  found  from  Queenstown  to  Portrush. 

We  stopped  a  day  in  Dublin,  which  is  an 
Irish  city  with  a  large  tinge  of  English.  It 
was  the  capital  of  Ireland  prior  to  the  con- 
solidation of  the  Irish  Parliament  with  that  of 
Great  Britain,  and  may  still  be  called  so  be- 
cause the  Lord-Lieutenant  Governor  lives  here 
and  has  a  sort  of  a  court.  There  are  about 


200  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

400,000  people,  packed  in  too  tightly  and 
with  not  enough  work  to  keep  many  of  them 
in  decent  living  and  style.  That  is  the  trouble 
in  Ireland — one  of  their  troubles,  the  lack  of 
opportunity  for  work.  There  is  not  much  for 
the  energetic  young  Irishman  to  do  but  to 
emigrate,  and  he  goes  to  America  or  Canada 
or  Australia,  or  even  to  England,  to  get  a  job 
and  a  chance.  The  land  is  nearly  all  owned  by 
men  who  do  not  live  in  Ireland,  and  is  rented 
to  farmers  who  find  that  when  they  improve 
their  places  it  means  a  raise  in  rent.  The  new 
land  law  which  gives  a  man  a  sort  of  title  to 
his  leased  land,  and  makes  a  court  of  arbitra- 
tion as  to  rent  and  purchase,  is  improving 
conditions  in  Ireland  and  they  are  better  off 
now  in  respect  to  land  than  they  are  in  Eng- 
land, except  for  the  blight  of  absentee  land- 
lordism, the  system  which  takes  the  rent- 
money  and  spends  it  in  London  or  in  Paris. 

Dublin  is  perking  up  some  on  the  prospect 
of  home  rule,  which  would  bring  an  Irish 
legislature  to  Dublin  and  make  the  city  a  real 
capital.  But  the  prospect  for  home  rule  is 
dubious.  The  Irish  party  holds  the  balance 


THE  NORTH   OF   IRELAND  201 

of  power  in  the  English  Parliament  and  has 
been  allied  with  the  Liberals  in  their  reforms 
and  the  dehorning  of  the  House  of  Lords. 
The  Liberals  have  promised  the  Irish  home 
rule,  and  the  leaders  will  try  to  fulfill  the 
promise,  but  they  may  find  it  hard  work  to 
line  up  their  followers,  and  let  it  go  until  an- 
other general  election.  There  are  so  many 
other  questions  involved  in  English  politics 
that  home  rule  may  be  lost  in  the  shuffle,  but 
as  the  Irish  are  the  best  politicians  in  the 
world  they  are  looking  forward  to  success  after 
a  lovely  fight. 

The  city  of  Belfast,  a  hundred  miles  north 
of  Dublin,  is  the  center  of  the  linen  trade. 
The  English  Parliament  a  couple  of  hundred 
years  ago  prohibited  the  manufacture  of  wool 
in  Ireland  because  it  competed  with  English 
trade,  but  promoted  the  spinning  of  linen. 
The  climate  is  just  right,  labor  is  cheap,  and 
Irish  linen  is  the  best  in  the  world.  We  visited 
a  linen  mill,  and  also  a  cottage  where  the  hand 
looms  were  at  work.  The  wages  paid  to  good 
hands  are  50  to  75  cents  a  day.  This  would 
be  fair  wages  in  Europe,  but  the  work  is  not 


202  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

always  steady  and  many  days  are  lost  in 
setting  the  patterns  and  fixing  the  looms. 
The  manager  of  the  factory  said  that  most  of 
his  best  men  went  to  America — he  himself 
had  two  sons  in  New  York.  The  wages  here 
will  keep  soul  and  body  together  if  the  body 
is  willing  to  get  along  on  fish  and  potatoes. 
But  there  is  no  outcome,  no  prospect  of  a 
future  which  shall  include  a  beefsteak  once  a 
week.  The  manager  had  been  in  America  and 
he  knew  the  difference.  "Our  workmen  are  all 
right  because  they  don't  know  the  luxuries 
the  American  workman  has,  except  by  hear- 
say. Of  course  if  they  once  get  the  appetite 
for  meat  and  a  new  suit  of  clothes  every  year 
they  have  to  leave  us.  But  a  two-eyed  beef- 
steak makes  a  good  meal."  A  two-eyed  beef- 
steak is  an  Irish  name  for  a  herring. 

Belfast  has  great  ship-building  yards,  next 
to  Glasgow  the  greatest  in  the  world.  It  also 
has  large  distilleries  which  supply  England 
and  America.  I  am  told  that  the  consumption 
of  liquor  is  on  the  decrease  in  Ireland.  I  hope 
so.  But  the  distilleries  keep  building  addi- 
tions and  enlarging  their  plants. 


THE   NORTH    OF   IRELAND 


Which  recalls  the  old  story  of  the  Illinois 
statesman  who  was  a  great  drinker  and  was 
ruining  the  prospect  of  a  useful  life.  His 
family  and  friends  tried  to  stop  him,  but  the 
habit  or  disease  could  not  be  overcome.  One 
night  a  friend  had  him  out  for  a  walk,  trying 
to  sober  him  up  for  important  business  the 
next  day.  They  passed  a  distillery  and  the 
friend  said:  "John,  what  a  fool  you  are  to 
try  to  drink  all  the  whisky  that  is  made.  You 
can't  do  it.  See  that  busy  distillery  with  its 
bright  lights  and  throbbing  engines.  You 
can't  beat  it."  John  looked,  and  then  with 
drunken  dignity  replied:  "Perhaps  you're 
right.  But  don  you  shee  I'm  making  'em 
work  nights?" 

The  drink  problem  is  the  hardest  to  solve 
in  Great  Britain,  England,  Ireland  and  Scot- 
land. It  is  worse  than  the  wage  problem  or 
the  land  problem.  In  no  other  countries  that 
I  have  visited  are  the  evils  of  booze  so  plainly 
in  evidence  as  in  the  British  Isles.  In  Ger- 
many the  sight  of  the  family  in  the  beer  gar- 
den with  their  mugs  of  creamy  liquid,  their 


204  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

good-nature  and  their  temperance,  does  not 
make  an  unpleasant  impression.  In  France 
and  the  southern  countries,  where  wine  is  the 
common  beverage,  one  does  not  worry  about 
this  custom.  But  in  England,  Ireland  and 
Scotland,  where  you  see  men  and  women 
drunk  in  the  streets  and  in  the  gutters,  where 
you  see  children  ragged  and  barefooted,  homes 
cheerless  and  pauperism  prevalent,  all  plainly 
because  of  the  drink,  the  sensibility  of  even 
the  most  seasoned  is  shocked.  Public-houses 
with  women  behind  the  bars,  open  seven  days 
in  the  week  and  handing  out  the  whisky  which 
temporarily  exhilarates  and  then  stupefies  and 
degrades,  are  one  of  the  companion  pictures 
to  the  great  buildings,  wonderful  achieve- 
ments and  artistic  developments  which  one 
sees  in  every  British  town.  The  temperance 
societies  work  hard,  the  government  would 
help  if  it  dared,  but  the  drinking,  the  suffer- 
ing and  the  pauperizing  process  goes  on. 
The  distilleries  are  enlarging,  and  working 
nights. 

I  talked  this  matter  over  with  an  intelli- 
gent Irishman,  and  he  agreed  with  me  that  if 


THE   NORTH   OF  IRELAND  205 

the  drinking  of  liquor  could  be  abolished  it 
would  do  away  with  nine-tenths  of  the  pov- 
erty. "But  see  these  poor  fellows  and  how 
they  work,"  he  said.  "  Saturday  night  comes, 
and  who  can  blame  them  for  having  a  few 
pleasant  hours  even  if  it  is  all  imagination, 
and  even  if  they  do  go  to  work  on  blue  Mon- 
day with  aching  heads  and  a  little  tremble." 
Which  is  very  poor  argument,  for  it  does 
not  take  in  the  dependent  wives  and  children. 
And  the  Saturday  night  drunk  makes  a  poor 
workman  on  Monday. 

On  the  northern  coast  of  Ireland,  near 
Portrush  and  a  number  of  beautiful  summer 
resorts,  is  the  Giant's  Causeway.  The  origin 
of  this  really  wonderful  freak  of  nature  is 
said  by  archaeologists  to  be  volcanic,  and  that 
the  Causeway,  the  adjoining  cliffs  and  several 
islands  are  products  that  came  from  a  vol- 
cano in  the  shape  of  burning  lava,  and  were 
then  thrown  into  shape  by  later  explosions 
as  the  molten  mass  was  cooling.  The  Cause- 
way is  a  formation  like  a  pier  extending  into 
the  ocean  and  made  up  of  40,000  pillars  (by 
Irish  count),  each  a  separate  column  and 


206  A   JAYHAWKER  TO   EUHOPE 

usually  five-  or  six-sided.  They  are  about 
twenty  feet  long,  twenty  inches  in  diameter 
and  jointed  like  mason-work,  or  more  like 
a  bamboo  rod.  The  theory  is  that  as  the 
lava  cooled  it  cracked  and  shrunk.  Perhaps 
so.  Nobody  saw  it. 

I  prefer  the  Irish  version,  which  is  simpler 
and  easy  to  understand. 

Fin  MacCoul,  the  giant,  was  the  champion 
of  Ireland.  He  had  knocked  out  all  rivals 
and  no  one  could  stand  in  front  of  him  for 
a  second  round.  He  was  as  great  a  man  in 
Ireland  as  John  L.  Sullivan  used  to  be  in 
Boston.  Over  in  Scotland  a  certain  Cale- 
donia giant  boasted  that  he  could  lick  any 
man  on  earth,  Irish  preferred.  He  gave  out 
an  interview  to  the  newspapers,  saying  that 
if  it  were  not  for  the  wetting  he  would  cross 
over  and  take  the  Irish  championship  from 
Fin.  After  much  of  the  usual  mouth-work 
between  the  champions,  Fin  got  permission 
from  the  king,  constructed  the  Causeway 
from  Ireland  to  Scotland,  and  dared  the  Cale- 
donian to  come  across.  The  Scot  was  game, 
and  the  match  was  pulled  off  without  police 


THE   NORTH  OTT  IRELAND  207 

interference,  resulting  in  a  victory  for  Fin, 
who  kindly  allowed  his  beaten  rival  to  settle 
in  Ireland  and  open  a  saloon.  Ireland  was 
then,  as  it  is  now,  the  finest  country  in  the 
world,  so  the  Scotchman  lived  happily  ever 
afterward.  The  Causeway  gradually  sank 
into  the  sea,  and  all  that  is  now  in  sight  is 
the  Irish  end  and  a  few  islands  between  it  and 
the  Scottish  coast. 

The  formation  of  the  coast  for  several 
miles  each  side  of  the  Causeway  is  the  same 
volcanic  rock,  and  it  rises  abruptly  hundreds 
of  feet  high  from  the  sea.  Caves  and  cav- 
erns with  arches  and  vaults  and  echoes,  and 
natural  amphitheatres  with  the  pipe  organ 
Fin  used  to  play  and  the  bathtub  which  he 
used,  are  visited  by  the  visitors  who  go  out 
upon  the  Atlantic  in  a  row-boat.  I  have 
seen  Niagara  and  the  Falls  of  the  Rhine,  and 
the  Garden  of  the  Gods  in  Colorado,  and  a 
few  hundred  more  wonderful  works  of  Na- 
ture or  of  giants,  and  the  Causeway  is  not 
second  to  any  of  them. 

Our  last  stop  in  Ireland  is  this  town  of 
Londonderry,  known  in  Ireland  as  "Derry." 


208  A  JAYHAWKER  IN   EUROPE 

The  London  end  of  the  name  was  put  on  by 
King  James  the  First,  who  was  so  devoted 
to  his  religion  that  he  killed  or  exiled  the 
Catholic  Irish  in  Ulster  and  Derry  and  gave 
their  lands  to  Protestant  emigrants  from  Eng- 
land. A  few  years  later  Cromwell  finished 
the  job  and  got  the  name  of  "Thorough," 
because  of  his  theory  that  the  only  good  Irish- 
man was  a  dead  Irishman.  There  were  terri- 
ble religious  wars  in  Ireland  for  years,  each 
side  getting  even  for  outrages  committed  by 
the  other.  One  great  event  in  the  series 
was  the  siege  of  Londonderry  by  an  Irish 
army  under  James  the  Second,  who  had  been 
run  out  of  England  by  William  of  Orange. 
James  was  about  to  enter  the  city  with  the 
consent  of  the  governor,  when  thirteen  ap- 
prentice boys  banged  down  the  portcullis, 
closing  the  entrance.  That  started  the  fight, 
and  the  people  of  Londonderry  decided  to 
stand  the  siege.  They  repulsed  the  soldiers 
and  James  tried  to  starve  'em  out.  The  siege, 
which  began  with  no  preparation  for  defense, 
lasted  seven  months,  and  half  the  population 
died  of  starvation.  The  people  ate  dogs  and 
cats  and  rats,  a  rat  selling  for  three  shillings. 


THE   NORTH   OF  IRELAND  209 

At  last  an  English  fleet  broke  through  the  ob- 
struction in  the  river,  and  the  remnant  of  the 
people  of  Londonderry  was  saved. 

Those  were  "good  old  times."  The  Protest- 
ants of  Londonderry  knew  if  they  surrendered 
they  would  meet  the  same  fate  that  they  had 
accorded  to  the  Catholics  on  the  capture  of 
Irish  towns,  and  there  is  hardly  a  town  in 
Ireland  which  cannot  duplicate  the  story  of 
the  siege  of  Londonderry.  Those  days  are 
gone,  Irish  and  English  have  laid  aside  their 
weapons,  and  except  for  St.  Patrick's  Day  or 
the  12th  of  July,  which  is  the  anniversary  of 
the  battle  of  the  Boyne  in  which  William  de- 
feated James,  there  is  hardly  a  broken  head 
in  the  country  from  religious  causes. 

The  walls  still  stand  in  Londonderry,  and 
some  of  the  cannon  of  1689  are  mounted  at 
the  old  stand.  But  the  walls  are  now  a 
promenade  and  the  cannon  are  only  relics. 
A  Protestant  cathedral  and  a  Catholic  cathe- 
dral, a  Presbyterian  college  and  a  Catholic 
college,  are  doing  business  side  by  side,  and 
all  are  doing  good.  Two  steamship  lines  have 
made  Derry  a  regular  stop  on  their  way  from 


210  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

Glasgow  to  America.  The  principal  busi- 
ness of  the  town  is  the  manufacture  of  linen 
and  whisky,  most  of  which  is  exported  to  the 
United  States.  And  Irishmen  from  the  North 
of  the  isle,  who  want  an  opportunity  and  a 
chance,  come  to  Derry  on  their  way  to  the 
best  land  of  all,  discovered  by  the  Spanish, 
developed  by  the  English,  and  ruled  gener- 
ally by  the  Irish,  known  and  loved  as  home 
now  by  more  Irish  than  are  in  Ireland,  the 
U.  S.  A. 


Scotland  and  the  Scotch 

GLASGOW,  SCOTLAND,  September  7. 
Scotland  is  one  of  the  oldest  countries  of  the 
civilized  world.  Although  it  is  now  united 
with  England  and  is  a  part  of  Great  Brit- 
ain, up  to  two  hundred  years  ago  it  had  noth- 
ing to  do  with  the  English  except  to  fight 
them.  The  original  inhabitants  were  Celts, 
and  came  into  history  as  Picts  and  Scots,  who 
held  possession  of  the  northern  part  of  the 
country  when  the  Romans  conquered  Eng- 
land. After  the  Romans  went  away  the 
Saxons  arrived  and  practically  wiped  out  all 
the  old  Britons  in  England,  but  made  no  head- 
way against  the  Caledonians  or  "people  of 
the  hills,"  as  they  called  the  residents  of  the 
north.  About  the  ninth  century  the  various 
tribes  were  gotten  together  under  one  chief 
or  king,  and  from  that  time  until  the  union  of 
England  and  Scotland  in  1706  the  chief  oc- 
cupation of  the  Scotch  was  to  fight  the  Eng- 
lish, who  were  always  trying  to  conquer  Scot- 
land, but  never  succeeding.  The  Scotch  and 

(211) 


A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 


the  English  were  of  different  race,  language, 
customs  and  habits.  Much  of  Scotland,  the 
Highlands,  has  little  room  for  agriculture,  and 
the  people  lived  a  roving  life,  raising  a  few 
sheep  and  oats,  and,  whenever  they  felt  like 
it,  making  a  raid  into  the  Lowlands  and  into 
England  and  bringing  back  cattle  and  supplies 
to  last  them  until  the  next  raid.  They  were 
converted  to  Christianity,  but  their  idea  of 
morality  never  included  an  injunction  against 
killing  the  Lowlander  and  running  off  his 
herd.  War  was  the  name  under  which  nations 
concealed  their  crimes  of  robbery,  and  the 
Highlanders  of  Scotland  had  war  all  the 
time  ;  so  they  were  officially  justified.  When 
you  analyze  their  romantic  history  and  the 
great  deeds  of  their  heroes  you  will  always 
find  that  no  matter  how  strict  their  character 
and  honor  among  themselves,  they  never  con- 
sidered it  anything  but  a  praiseworthy  action 
to  kill  and  rob  an  Englishman.  The  reforma- 
tion by  John  Knox  and  his  contemporaries 
filled  the  Scottish  heads  with  religious  en- 
thusiasm and  devotion,  but  it  did  not  inter- 
fere with  the  Scottish  theory  that  the  English 
were  the  natural  enemy  who  must  always  be 


SCOTLAND  AND  THE  SCOTCH      £13 

fought.  And  the  English,  on  their  side,  recip- 
rocated the  regard  in  which  they  were  held 
by  the  Scotch,  and  every  king  of  England  who 
had  a  chance  put  in  his  time  trying  to  conquer 
the  clansmen.  Often  the  English  would  de- 
feat the  Scotch  armies  and  capture  their 
chiefs,  but  they  couldn't  any  more  hold  the 
Scotch  territory  than  they  could  hold  the  red- 
hot  end  of  a  poker. 

When  Elizabeth,  Queen  of  England,  died, 
the  next  heir  to  the  English  throne  was  the 
son  of  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  then  reigning  as 
James  the  Sixth,  King  of  Scotland.  He  was 
not  only  the  heir,  but  he  was  a  Protestant, 
and  was,  therefore,  acceptable,  and  he  was 
duly  crowned  as  James  the  First  of  England. 
Of  course,  he  went  to  London  to  reside,  and 
from  that  time  to  the  present  England  and 
Scotland  have  had  the  same  king,  although  it 
was  100  years  later  before  there  was  any  union 
of  the  two  governments.  In  1706  the  Scottish 
Parliament  adopted  the  act  of  union,  the  ma- 
jority being  secured  by  shameful  and  open 
bribery  and  against  the  protests  of  the  Scot- 
tish people,  who  did  not  want  to  be  the  tail 


214  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

of  the  English  kite.  But  the  union  resulted 
very  beneficially  to  Scotland,  as  it  changed 
the  occupation  from  war  to  commerce  and 
from  raising  hell  to  raising  sheep.  The  natural 
shrewdness  of  the  Celt  was  stimulated  by  the 
industry  required  in  a  country  where  hard 
work  is  necessary,  and  all  over  the  world 
Scotchmen  are  known  for  their  ability,  their 
keenness  in  argument,  their  thrift  and  their 
success.  Scotland  is  as  far  north  as  Labra- 
dor and  Hudson  Bay.  It  has  a  short  grow- 
ing season  and  very  little  fertile  soil.  I  am 
wearing  an  overcoat  and  shivering  with  cold. 
That  kind  of  a  country  raises  sturdy  and 
energetic  people. 

It  has  rained  every  day  and  nearly  all  the 
time  since  we  arrived.  The  Scotch  do  not 
seem  to  mind  the  wet,  but  go  about  their 
business,  clad  in  rough,  warm  clothing.  I  had 
quite  a  talk  with  a  bright  old  Scotchman,  and, 
after  I  had  admitted — just  as  well  give  in  to  a 
Scotchman  without  argument- — that  Scotland 
was  the  most  beautiful  country  on  earth,  I 
started  a  diversion  by  asking  him  if  it  rained 
all  the  time  in  Scotland.  In  very  broad  dia- 


SCOTLAND  AND  THE  SCOTCH      £15 

lect  he  said  he  would  tell  us  a  story  that  would 
answer  the  question.  A  ship  arrived  off  the 
Scotch  coast,  and,  as  it  was  raining,  the  cap- 
tain decided  to  delay  landing  until  the  storm 
was  over.  He  waited  three  weeks  before  the 
rain  stopped,  but  finally  the  sun  came  out 
and  he  put  for  the  shore.  Just  as  he  climbed 
onto  the  land  the  sky  darkened  and  the  rain 
began  to  fall  again.  Of  a  Scotch  lad  standing 
by,  the  captain  asked:  "Does  it  rain  all  the 
time  in  Scotland?" 

"Naw,"    said    the    lad;      "sometimes    it 


snaws." 


The  agricultural  products  of  Scotland  are 
oats,  grass,  barley,  and  a  little  wheat.  The 
farms  are  generally  small  and  the  soil  poor, 
and  the  great  industry  is  the  raising  of  sheep. 
In  the  manufacturing  towns  the  wool  is  made 
into  cloth.  The  chief  industry,  aside  from 
this,  is  the  distillery,  and  a  great  deal  of  the 
product  is  consumed  at  home.  The  people 
are  poor,  and  there  is  little  chance  for  them  to 
improve  their  condition  and  stay  in  Scotland. 
The  land  is  owned  by  big  landlords,  and  hun- 
dreds of  square  miles  are  kept  for  hunting  by 


216  A  JAYHAWKER   IN  EUROPE 

the  proprietors  of  the  estates.  Work  as  hard 
as  he  may,  the  Scotch  tenant  farmer  has  very 
little  ahead  of  him  except  poverty  and  heaven. 
The  tourists  bring  a  good  deal  of  money  to  the 
country,  and  are  separated  from  it  in  every 
way  the  canny  Scot  can  devise.  But  in  spite 
of  poverty  and  notwithstanding  the  evil  of 
intemperance,  there  is  no  doubt  of  the  natural 
brightness  of  the  Scotch. 

I  had  heard  all  my  life  of  the  Scotch  heather, 
and  it  is  one  thing  in  which  I  was  not  disap- 
pointed. The  Scotch  moor,  which  is  something 
between  a  barren  field  and  a  swamp,  will  raise 
nothing  else,  and  most  of  Scotland  is  moor. 
Heather  is  like  a  weed  cedar,  if  there  could  be 
such  a  thing,  and  at  this  season,  when  it  is  in 
bloom,  covers  the  ground  with  a  mat  of  blue. 
There  is  also  a  white  heather,  which  is  rare 
and  to  find  which  is  good  luck.  I  was  very 
fortunate,  for  I  picked  a  bunch  of  white 
heather  the  first  attempt.  I  picked  it  from 
a  lad  for  a  penny,  and  I  recommend  that  way 
of  hunting  for  the  white  kind.  But  the  blue 
heather  is  everywhere,  as  buffalo-grass  used 
to  be  on  western  prairies.  Heather  is  good 


SCOTLAND  AND  THE  SCOTCH     217 

for  nothing,  except  as  a  flower,  and  it  will  not 
grow  anywhere  but  in  Scotland.  It  is  like 
the  hills  and  woods  and  lakes  of  this  country 
—fair  to  look  upon  but  not  convertible  into 
cash.  It  is  worn  by  the  people,  and  a  man  is 
hardly  dressed  up  unless  he  has  a  bunch  in  his 
cap  or  his  button-hole.  The  shamrock  will 
not  grow  except  in  Ireland  and  the  heather 
only  in  Scotland,  and  each  is  held  in  loving 
affection  by  the  people  of  the  country  be- 
cause of  its  constancy  and  patriotism. 

The  Scotch  have  a  way  of  making  oatmeal 
porridge  that  justifies  its  reputation.  But  I 
tried  the  "haggis,"  and  once  was  enough.  I 
do  not  know  what  the  component  elements  of 
Scotch  "haggis"  may  be,  but  I  suspect  that 
they  are  the  remnants  of  the  last  meal  minced 
together,  with  oatmeal  and  sheep-blood  added 
to  make  them  palatable.  The  Scotch  people 
are  not  high  livers.  Whatever  cannot  be 
made  out  of  oats  and  mutton  is  too  high- 
priced  for  the  ordinary  citizen.  The  farm- 
house is  generally  divided  by  a  solid  wall,  the 
family  on  one  side  and  the  cows  and  sheep 
on  the  other.  The  people  of  Scotland  always 


218  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

have  been  poor,  and  they  are  not  ashamed  of 
it;  but  they  consider  it  disgraceful  to  be 
ignorant  or  irreligious,  so  they  have  as  good 
schools  and  churches  as  can  be  found  any- 
where outside  of  America.  The  men  no 
longer  go  around  with  guns  and  plaids,  calling 
themselves  by  the  names  of  their  clans,  but 
there  is  much  family  pride,  and  the  traditions 
of  the  good  old  times  of  murder  and  robbery 
are  kept  in  mind.  The  English  language  has 
taken  the  place  of  the  old  Gaelic  for  general 
use,  but  the  English  as  spoken  in  Scotland  is 
only  about  second  cousin  to  the  English 
language  as  known  in  Kansas. 

Walter  Scott  wrote  the  history  of  Scotland 
for  the  world,  and  it  is  very  fortunate  for  the 
clansmen  that  he  did.  Scott  had  a  picturesque 
way  of  dressing  up  the  costume  and  character 
of  a  dirty  highwayman  so  that  he  would  ap- 
pear to  be  the  soul  of  honor  and  the  pride  of 
chivalry.  He  has  given  some  of  the  kings 
and  dukes,  who  committed  every  crime  from 
arson  to  murder,  the  reputation  and  standing 
of  good  and  respectable  citizens.  His  his- 
torical novels,  in  so  far  as  their  description 
of  royal  character  is  concerned,  have  the  merit 


SCOTLAND  AND  THE  SCOTCH      219 

of  beauty  and  interest,  but  not  of  truth.  The 
Scots  were  fierce  fighters,  and  in  the  days 
when  war  meant  conquest  and  conquest 
meant  pillage  the  Scots  were  unexcelled  in  all 
lines.  Now  that  the  world  is  putting  up  a 
different  standard  for  success  we  find  the 
Scotchmen  adapting  themselves  to  modern 
ideas ;  and  in  science,  invention,  law  and  com- 
merce they  can  show  down  with  any  lot  of 
people  twice  their  size  on  earth.  They  are 
proud  of  their  country,  and  can  recite  its 
legends  and  its  poems  of  Burns  even  if  they 
are  so  poor  that  they  don't  have  a  square  meal 
a  day.  They  love  to  argue,  state  their  views 
positively,  contradict  flatly,  and  do  not  object 
to  taking  as  good  as  they  send.  They  are  not 
polite  like  the  Germans,  insinuating  like  the 
French,  or  reserved  like  the  English.  They 
are  abrupt  and  inconsiderate,  though  kind- 
hearted  and  helpful,  proud  and  poor,  quick- 
witted and  industrious.  If  they  had  any 
other  country's  natural  advantages  they  would 
own  the  earth. 


The  Land  of  Burns 

AYR,  SCOTLAND,  September  9. 
Today  we  have  spent  in  Ayr,  the  village 
which  bases  a  claim  on  fame  because  in  a 
humble  little  cottage,  just  outside  its  limits, 
Robert  Burns,  the  great  Scottish  poet,  was 
born.  I  call  Burns  "the  great  Scottish  poet" 
because  it  is  right  that  his  beloved  country 
should  be  linked  with  his  name,  but,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  Burns  is  the  poet  of  humanity 
in  every  land  and  every  clime.  His  writings 
jingle  like  a  familiar  song,  his  thoughts  are 
the  thoughts  we  all  think  but  cannot  express, 
and  his  music  touches  the  heartstrings  like 
recollections  of  childhood,  a  letter  from  home, 
or  the  memory  of  those  who  are  dear  and 
away.  Burns  wrote  in  rhyme  the  thoughts 
that  came  themselves  and  not  thoughts  he 
had  worked  up  for  the  occasion.  A  child  of 
poverty  himself,  he  was  neither  blinded  to  its 
troubles  nor  overcome  by  its  restrictions,  and 
he  tells  us  of  the  joys  and  pleasures,  the  griefs 
and  sorrows  of  the  people.  He  puts  epigrams 

(220) 


THE   LAND   OF   BURNS  221 

into  verse  and  he  tells  of  things  as  they  are, 
looking  through  the  shams  and  deceits  and 
making  good-natured  fun  of  weakness  and 
folly.  He  never  gets  away  from  the  human 
interest  and  he  never  fails  in  knowledge  of 
human  nature. 

Burns's  father  was  a  farmer,  and  not  a  very 
successful  one.  He  spelled  his  name  Burness, 
but  for  some  unknown  reason  the  poet  short- 
ened it.  The  father  was  an  honest  and  re- 
ligious man  who  was  highly  respected,  but 
never  made  good  in  a  business  way.  His 
mother  was  brighter,  and  used  to  sing  Scotch 
songs  and  ballads,  and  if  there  is  anything  in 
heredity  Robert  got  his  poetic  instincts  from 
that  side  of  the  house.  They  were  trying  to 
make  a  nursery  pay  when  Robert  was  born, 
and  I  visited  the  cottage  where  that  event 
took  place.  One  end  of  the  shanty  with  three 
rooms  was  for  the  family  and  the  other  with 
two  rooms  was  for  the  cattle.  The  Burnses 
failed  in  the  nursery  business,  and  rented  a 
small  farm  near  by,  on  which  Robert  spent 
his  boyhood  days,  not  far  from  the  taverns 
in  Ayr  and  Irvine,  where  he  learned  how  to  be 


222  A   JAYHAWKER   IN    EUROPE 

a  "good  fellow"  and  thus  shortened  his  life. 
He  was  15  years  old  when  he  wrote  his  first 
verses,  and  was  helping  on  the  farm  and  going 
to  school.  After  the  father  died  Robert  and 
his  brother  tried  to  run  the  farm,  but  the  poet 
got  discouraged,  and  decided  to  emigrate  to 
Jamaica.  A  publisher  printed  his  poems,  and 
he  intended  to  take  the  money  he  received  for 
them  to  pay  his  passage.  But  the  book  made 
a  hit  from  the  start,  a  second  edition  was 
called  for,  and  Burns  at  once  attained  great 
popularity.  He  gave  up  the  idea  of  leaving 
Scotland,  and  put  in  most  of  the  remainder  of 
his  days  writing,  besides  holding  a  small  job 
which  his  friends  got  for  him,  in  the  revenue 
service.  He  bought  a  farm  near  Dumfries, 
and  lived  there  and  in  the  town  the  rest  of  his 
short  life,  for  he  died  in  1796,  when  he  was 
only  37  years  of  age. 

Burns  not  only  enjoyed  popularity  in  his 
own  generation,  but  in  the  more  than  a 
century  since  he  wrote  his  fame  has  grown 
steadily  and  his  genius  and  talent  are  ap- 
preciated in  every  part  of  the  world.  There 
are  statues  and  monuments  to  Burns  all  over 
Scotland,  but  the  greatest  memorial  is  in  the 


THE   LAND    OF   BURNS  223 

hearts  of  the  people  of  his  own  country  and 
of  all  others  into  which  his  songs  have  gone. 
Wherever  there  is  a  son  or  daughter  of  Scot- 
land there  is  a  lover  of  "Bobby  Burns." 

It  was  a  little  thrilling  to  be  shown  the  inn 
where  "Tarn  O'Shanter"  loitered  that  stormy 
night  in  Ayr— 

"  Auld  Ayr,  wham  ne'er  a  town  surpasses, 
For  honest  men  and  bonnie  lasses." 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Tarn  and  his 
crony,  Souter  Johnny,  (both  honored  by 
statues  now,)  had  spent  the  evening  most 
merrily,  and  it  came  time  for  Tarn  to  go  home 
to  his  wife,  who  had  frequently  told  Tarn 
what  would  happen  to  him  after  one  of  those 
sprees.  And  the  poet  philosophizes  : 

"Ah,  gentle  dames!  it  gars  me  greet 
To  think  how  mony  counsels  sweet, 
How  mony  lengthen'd  spge  advices, 
The  husband  frae  the  wife  despises!" 

Tarn  started  for  home  on  his  good  gray 
mare,  Meg,  but  when  he  reached  old  Alloway 
Church  he  saw  lights,  and,  made  brave  by  the 
Scotch  whisky,  he  boldly  looked  in.  He  saw 
the  witches  dancing,  the  devil  playing  the 
fifes,  and  a  young  woman  he  knew  was  in  the 


224  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

carousal.  Tarn  foolishly  called,  the  lights 
went  out,  and  it  was  up  to  Meg  to  get  away 
from  the  swarm  of  witches  who  came  in  hot 
pursuit.  The  leading  lady  of  the  gang  was 
right  upon  poor  Tarn  when  he  came  to  the 
bridge,  his  hope  of  escape,  for  witches  cannot 
cross  running  water.  With  one  great  jump 
Meg  saved  her  master. 

"  Ane  spring  brought  off  her  master,  hale, 
But  left  behind  her  ain  grey  tail; 
The  carlin  claught  her  by  the  rump, 
And  left  poor  Maggie  scarce  a  stump." 

I  have  seen  the  tavern,  the  church,  the 
bridge,  the  statue  of  Tarn,  but  a  grateful 
public  has  forgotten  to  properly  commemorate 
the  services  of  Meg  and  the  sacrifice  of  the 
tail. 

Across  the  river  Ayr  are  "the  auld  brig" 
and  "the  new  brig"  which  held  a  joint  debate 
as  reported  by  Burns's  muse.  The  city 
council  was  recently  about  to  take  down  the 
auld  brig  because  it  was  unsafe,  but  a  general 
howl  went  up,  and  the  bridge  is  to  be  pre- 
served. All  of  the  relics  of  Burns  are  being 
taken  care  of,  and  so  far  as  possible  the  old 
cottage  and  other  places  connected  with  his 
life  are  restored  to  the  condition  they  were  in 
when  Burns  was  plowing  and  quit  work  to 


THE  LAND   OF   BURNS 


write  poetry  to  a  mouse  he  had  stirred  out  of 
its  nest.  I  can  readily  understand  why  Burns 
did  not  make  a  success  as  a  farmer,  for  like 
other  poets  he  did  not  like  to  work.  However, 
the  dislike  for  work  is  not  confined  to  poets, 
who  have  more  of  an  excuse  for  this  fault  than 
the  rest  of  us. 

I  have  not  yet  found  a  Scotchman  who  can- 
not quote  Burns's  poetry  by  the  yard.  It  is 
all  I  can  do  to  read  most  of  Burns's  lines,  and 
the  words  I  skip  often  look  rough  and  jagged. 
But  when  a  Scotchman  recites  Burns,  the 
dialect  and  the  broad  accent  make  the  rhymes 
sound  like  music.  The  strange  syllables  fit 
together  in  harmony  so  that  one  can  under- 
stand that  Burns  knew  what  he  was  about 
when  he  used  the  local  phrases  and  words  in  so 
much  of  his  writing.  Burns  was  a  good 
scholar,  and  could  and  did  write  the  purest  of 
English,  but  he  took  the  homely  phrases  of 
the  Scottish  life  to  make  the  common  things 
he  writes  about  ring  clear  and  right. 

Ayr  is  about  forty  miles  from  Glasgow.  As 
soon  as  you  leave  the  Burns  neighborhood  you 


226  A   JAYHAWKER   IN    EUROPE 


get  into  a  country  of  coal  mines,  factories,  and 
golf  links.  There  are  miles  of  golf  grounds  on 
the  moors  along  the  road.  Most  of  the  land 
is  only  fit  to  raise  heather  and  lose  golf  balls. 
No  wonder  Burns's  father  failed  and  Robert 
was  going  to  emigrate.  The  more  I  see  of 
Scottish  soil  the  more  I  take  off  my  hat  to 
the  Scotch  farmers,  who  must  be  the  bravest 
men  in  the  world. 

About  fifty  years  ago  Andrew  Carnegie, 
then  a  lad  of  a  half-dozen  years,  took  his 
father  by  the  hand  and  led  him  onto  the  ship 
at  Glasgow  which  brought  them  to  America. 
In  all  the  Scotch  towns  there  are  Carnegie 
libraries  and  other  benefactions  from  the 
Scotch  boy.  His  shrewdness  and  industry 
are  the  result  of  Scotch  character  when  given 
full  play  in  an  open  field.  On  the  other  hand, 
Burns  with  his  talent  and  his  weakness  ex- 
hibits another  result  of  the  sentimental  yet 
canny  Scot  who  sees  through  humanity  and 
analyzes  it. 

To  read  the  poetry  of  Robert  Burns  is  to 
be  wiser,  better  and  happier.  The  day  spent 
in  this  little  nook  in  which  he  began  his  life 


THE   LAND    OF   BURNS  227 

has  brought  much  of  Burns's  surroundings 
vividly  to  my  mind.  The  little  hovel  in 
which  he  was  born  contrasts  with  the  great 
monument  reared  by  a  grateful  country,  and 
proves  his  words  if  they  needed  proof : 

"A  king  can  make  a  belted  knight, 
A   marquis,   duke,   and  a'   that, 
But  an  honest  man's  aboon  his  might, 
Guid  faith,  he  mauna  fa'  that 
For  a'  that  and  a'  that, 

Their  dignities  and  a'  that, 
The  pith  of  sense  and  pride  o'  worth, 
Are  higher  rank,  than  a'  that." 


The  Journey's  End 

STEAMSHIP  CAMERONIA,  September  21. 
For  some  unexplainable  reason  the  ship 
homeward-bound  is  always  slow.  When  one 
leaves  his  own  country  on  a  journey  to  other 
lands  he  is  in  no  hurry.  The  new  pictures 
that  constantly  present  themselves,  the  new 
objects  and  the  talk  that  suggests  new  ideas, 
hopes  and  plans,  make  the  days  go  swiftly 
by  and  the  voyage  is  never  too  long  or  tire- 
some. But  when  months  of  travel  have  ex- 
hausted the  appetite  for  sights,  and  the  oc- 
currence of  the  strange  no  longer  starts  a 
thrill,  the  thoughts  of  the  traveler  far  exceed 
the  speed  of  the  ship  and  the  fastest  boat  that 
crosses  the  Atlantic  is  too  slow.  This  is  the 
only  excuse  I  can  find  for  the  Cameronia, 
which  sailed  four  days  later  than  scheduled, 
and  has  developed  no  traits  which  will  be 
affectionately  remembered  by  the  present  pas- 
sengers. She  is  a  new  ship,  and  not  finished. 
I  suppose  the  Anchor  line  needed  the  money 
or  it  would  not  have  started  a  vessel  across 

(228) 


THE  JOURNEYS  END 


the  ocean  with  so  many  things  not  com- 
pleted and  untried.  And  then  the  Cam- 
eronia  has  shown  great  ability  as  a  pitcher, 
also  as  a  roller,  and  if  a  contest  is  begun  as 
to  what  ship  can  pitch  and  roll,  kick  and 
buck  and  snort  the  best,  I  will  back  the 
Cameronia  against  the  field. 

The  ocean  along  the  northern  coast  of  Ire- 
land has  a  habit  of  being  busy.  The  currents 
from  the  south  and  the  Arctic  meet  the  tur- 
bulent waves  from  the  Irish  Sea,  and  a  watery 
Donnybrook  fair  is  the  result.  The  Cam- 
eronia enjoyed  the  opportunity,  and  although 
the  passengers  generally  took  their  evening 
meal  a  majority  of  them  went  dinnerless  to 
bed,  and  they  went  early  and  with  much  haste. 
There  is  no  known  remedy  for  seasickness. 
The  Rockefeller  foundation  which  is  discover- 
ing wonderful  germs,  on  which  every  other 
ill  can  be  laid,  has  not  found  the  bacillus 
which  started  the  trouble  on  the  Cameronia. 
The  ship's  doctor  calmly  advises  you  to  put 
your  finger  down  your  throat  and  aid  nature 
in  her  work.  He  assures  you  that  the  disease 
is  not  fatal,  although  you  may  wish  it  were, 


230  A   JAYHAWKER   IN    EUROPE 

and  he  encourages  you  in  the  faith  that  every 
minute  will  be  your  next.  The  seasick  ones 
lose  temporarily  any  other  trouble  or  ail- 
ments, and  often  forget  their  own  names, 
imagining  probably  that  these  have  gone  with 
the  rest.  The  story  is  told  of  a  time  like  the 
one  in  question,  that  a  sympathizing  officer 
came  to  a  man  and  woman  who  were  leaning 
against  each  other  with  a  common  misery. 
"Is  your  husband  very  sick?"  he  inquired 
of  the  evidently  cultured  and  modest  lady 
"He's  not  my  husband,"  she  faintly  answered, 
as  she  leaned  on  her  companion  once  again. 
'Your  brother?"  continued  the  butter-in. 
"I  never  saw  him  before,"  she  murmured, 
clasping  again  at  the  wobbly  supporter  under 
discussion. 

This  is  a  Scotch  boat,  and  she  has  some 
Scotch  traits.  The  Scotch  people  are  won- 
derful. In  a  land  which  is  nearly  all  poor 
pasture  and  good  golf  links,  they  have  de- 
veloped a  citizenship  which  intellectually  leads 
the  world.  But  they  are  not  given  to  cover- 
ing up  unpleasant  spots  and  they  do  not  go 
too  strong  for  things  of  mere  beauty  or  com- 


THE  JOURNEY'S  END 


fort.  There  is  no  blarney-stone  in  the  High- 
lands. The  Scotch  are  probably  the  poorest 
hotel  managers  in  the  world.  The  graces  and 
the  pleasantry  of  the  continent  are  despised, 
and  everything  coming  to  a  Scotchman  is 
expected  on  the  day  it  is  due.  This  habit 
of  thrift  is  necessary  in  a  land  where  it  has 
always  been  a  fight  for  man  to  get  a  result 
in  the  way  of  bread  or  meat  or  porridge. 
There  is  little  humor  in  the  Scotch  nature, 
and  every  action  is  based  on  serious  thought. 
The  Cameronia  is  getting  us  across  just  as 
was  promised,  but  with  no  frills  or  furbelows 
in  the  way  of  personal  attention  or  enter- 
tainment. 

Of  course  there  is  a  great  deal  in  their  view- 
point, and  what  seems  right  and  proper  in 
one  country  is  often  looked  upon  with  horror 
in  another.  Sunday  on  the  Cameronia  was 
Sunday  as  it  is  in  Glasgow.  The  Anchor  line 
would  no  more  sail  a  ship  without  divine 
service  than  it  would  without  a  rudder.  It 
would  no  more  permit  the  pianist  to  play 
secular  music  like  "America"  or  "Swanee 
River"  on  Sunday  than  it  would  allow  a  pas- 


A   JAYHAWKER   IN    EUROPE 


senger  to  take  the  captain's  place.  But  all 
the  Sabbath  Day  the  Anchor  line  sells  booze 
openly  and  without  a  compunction  of  con- 
science. A  compulsorily  closed  piano  and  an 
open  bar  look  strange  from  the  viewpoint  of 
a  traveler  from  Kansas. 

I  do  not  want  to  seem  to  be  faultfinding, 
so  I  will  only  say  that  the  grand  concert  on 
the  Cameronia  was  not  much  worse  than  is 
usual  on  shipboard.  Everybody  knows  that 
during  a  voyage  some  night  is  designated  as 
concert  night,  a  program  is  given  by  the  pas- 
sengers, and  a  collection  taken  for  the  bene- 
fit of  the  Sailors'  Home  or  some  such  charitable 
object.  But  only  those  who  have  actually 
made  the  trip  and  attended  a  concert  realize 
the  painful  nature  of  the  operation.  A  no- 
tice is  posted  on  the  bulletin  board  asking 
for  volunteers  for  the  program,  and  aspiring 
genius  directly  or  through  friends  offers  it- 
self for  the  entertainment.  A  dignified  gen- 
tleman who  can't  tell  a  funny  story  but  thinks 
he  can  is  selected  for  chairman.  Sometimes 
a  really  good  musician  or  entertainer  is  in- 
advertently included  in  the  program,  but  this 


THE  JOURNEY'S  END  233 

is  not  often.  No  mistake  is  made  in  the  choice 
of  pretty  girls  who  take  up  the  collection. 
Our  concert  was  opened  by  a  bass  solo,  the 
guilty  party  being  a  man  with  his  name 
parted  in  the  middle  and  old  enough  to  know 
better.  He  rendered  (that's  the  proper  word) 
the  old  Roman  favorite,  "Only  a  Pansy  Blos- 
som." When  he  came  to  the  chorus  about 
a  faded  flower  he  waved  a  yellow  chrysanthe- 
mum in  the  air  to  a  tremulo  accompaniment. 
This  was  not  a  comic  song,  but  a  serious, 
sentimental  selection,  and  the  singer  was  an 
Englishman.  The  Scotch  and  English  in  the 
room  heaved  sighs  and  said  to  each  other, 
"How  beautiful!"  The  Americans  poked 
each  other  in  the  ribs  and  almost  wept  in  the 
effort  to  restrain  their  laughter.  Of  course 
he  was  encored,  and  he  rendered  again. 
This  time  it  was  a  ballad  about  the  golden 
tress  of  my  darling,  and  in  the  touchiest  of 
the  touching  lines  he  drew  forth  from  his 
vest  a  piece  of  female  switch,  peroxide  in 
color  and  horsetailish  in  effect.  It  was  a 
great  effort,  and  the  serious  fellow-country- 
men heaved  more  sighs  of  appreciation,  while 
an  American  girl  at  my  right  whispered  out 


234  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

of  her  handerchief,  "I  know  I'm  going  to 
scream!"  Then  a  Scotchman  sang  an  Irish 
song.  Now  a  Scotchman  can't  get  the  Irish 
brogue  any  more  than  he  can  understand  an 
American  joke.  He  was  enthusiastically  en- 
cored, and  responded  with  a  French  dialect 
story,  in  broad  Scotch.  It  was  funnier  than 
he  knew.  An  amateur  violinist  contributed 
an  execution  of  a  sonata  or  a  nocturne  or  a 
cordial  of  some  kind.  A  famous  story-teller 
recited  a  few  choice  bits  from  the  column  of 
some  London  magazine,  on  which  the  Amer- 
ican copyright  expired  many  years  ago.  The 
chairman  in  a  few  touching  words  then  ex- 
plained the  object  of  the  charity  for  which 
the  fund  was  to  be  collected,  and  the  touch- 
ing was  completed  by  the  young  ladies  with 
pleasant  smiles. 

Such  is  a  ship's  concert,  and  with  slight  va- 
riations it  is  one  of  the  features  of  every 
ocean  voyage.  __ 

I  have  alluded  to  the  lack  of  humor  in 
Great  Britain,  from  the  American  viewpoint. 
I  heard  a  good  joke  on  the  Scotch,  and  told 
it  to  a  small  crowd  in  the  smoking-room. 
The  story  was  of  the  boy  who  asked  his  father 


INTRODUCING    A    JOKE    TO    OUR   BRITISH    COUSINS 


THE  JOURNEY'S  END  235 

why  there  was  such  a  coin  as  a  farthing,  the 
fourth  part  of  a  penny.  The  father  replied 
that  it  was  to  enable  the  Scotch  to  be  chari- 
table. Nobody  laughed,  and  I  resumed  a 
discussion  of  the  weather.  About  five  min- 
utes afterward  an  Englishman  roared  with 
mirth,  and  shouted  to  me,  "I  follow  you!  I 
follow  you!"  I  didn't  understand  why  he 
was  following  me  until  he  began  my  story, 
which  he  repeated  with  explanations  and  re- 
minders of  the  proverbial  Scotch  thrift.  Then 
he  told  it  again  and  laughed  loudly.  The 
others  smiled  courteously  and  then  face  after 
face  broadened,  they  all  "followed,"  and  no- 
body appreciated  the  joke  more  than  the 
Scotchmen.  They  told  the  story  to  each 
other  and  laughed,  then  hunted  up  friends 
and  told  it  until  the  friends  "followed,"  and 
I  was  pointed  out  as  a  humorist.  But  it 
was  a  long  and  painful  operation,  and  I  did 
not  have  the  courage  to  try  it  again.  These 
British  cousins  are  not  devoid  of  humor  but 
their  speed  limit  is  far  below  ours. 

The  harbor  of  New  York  is  in  sight  and  the 
pilot  just  came  aboard.     I  witnessed  an  affect- 


236  A   JAYHAWKER   IN   EUROPE 

ing  scene.  A  fellow-passenger  shouted  vig- 
orously to  get  the  attention  of  a  man  who  was 
sitting  in  the  pilot  boat.  The  man  looked 
up,  and  I  could  tell  the  passenger  was  ner- 
vously preparing  to  ask  for  important  news, 
perhaps  of  the  strike,  or  the  English  elections. 
He  called,  "Who's  ahead  in  the  National 
League?"  ^ 

No  coast  looks  as  beautiful  as  the  shore  of 
home.  Even  New  Jersey  looms  magnifi- 
cently at  such  a  time.  The  passengers  are 
all  on  deck  except  those  who  are  hiding  articles 
from  the  customs  officer.  The  returning 
Americans  are  full  of  enthusiasm.  They  have 
seen  enough  of  other  lands  to  know  that  there 
is  none  to  compare  with  the  United  States, 
none  which  comes  nearer  to  giving  a  man  a 
chance.  The  foreigners  in  the  first  cabin 
watch  the  approaching  scene  with  quiet  in- 
terest. Over  in  the  steerage  hundreds  of 
would-be  Americans  gaze  eagerly  at  the  land 
of  hope  and  promise.  Soon  they  will  be 
welcomed  by  the  Statue  of  Liberty  which  holds 
out  the  torch  of  citizenship  to  every  alien  with 
ten  dollars  in  cash  and  a  certificate  of  health. 


THE   JOtTRNEY's   END  2S7 

The  American  flag  appears  on  passing  boats, 
and  it  is  the  most  beautiful  as  it  is  the  most 
meaning  of  all  the  ensigns  of  all  the  nations. 
A  man  with  a  German  accent  tells  me  how 
forty  years  ago,  when  a  mere  boy,  he  came 
from  the  fatherland  to  try  his  fortune  in  the 
New  World.  This  year  he  went  back  for  a 
visit,  but  he  had  a  stateroom  and  was  not 
in  the  steerage.  He  saw  the  struggle  and  the 
lack  of  opportunity  in  the  country  of  his 
birth.  Now  he  is  homeward-bound,  satis- 
fied that  in  spite  of  trusts  and  politics  and 
coon  songs,  this  is  really  the  land  of  the  free, 
the  nation  of  opportunity;  and  as  the  pilot 
took  charge  and  the  American  flag  went  to 
the  top  of  the  Cameronia's  mast,  a  tear 
trickled  down  his  cheek,  telling  of  the  joy 
in  his  heart. 


